


The Thornberry Magus and the Skeletons

by AmbrosiaOfStories



Series: Undertale Series [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game), 魔法使いの嫁 | Mahou Tsukai no Yome | The Ancient Magus Bride
Genre: Alternate Universe - Horrortale (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Swapfell (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Underfell (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Underswap (Undertale), Badass Reader, Blood and Gore, Cannibalism, Dadster, Dadster is not Badster, Ecto-Genitalia (Undertale), Ecto-Tongue (Undertale), Eventual Smut, F/M, Fae & Fairies, Fae Magic, Fae Reader, Fae folk, Faerie Reader, Female Reader, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, However she won't hesitate to kill them, Mild Gore, Mom is a Plant, Multi, Multiple Soulmates, Mystical Creatures, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Nobility Reader, Plot, Reader Is Not Chara (Undertale), Reader Is Not Frisk (Undertale), Reader is "neutral" towards humans, Reader is emotionally detached, Reader is kinda overpowered, Reader usually runs an merchant shop, Reader x Skeletons, Reader-Insert, Sassy Reader, Soulmates, Tall Reader, Your Mom is a LITERAL Plant, reader is not human
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:14:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 30,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22176874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmbrosiaOfStories/pseuds/AmbrosiaOfStories
Summary: Born from a thorned "Atropa belladonna"—or a nightshade (berry) bush and the blood of a Mage, you were considered an abomination upon your brethren of the Fae Folk for many centuries. You roamed the world as an outcast; studying humanity as it rose and fell, only to repeat the process time and again, and gaining knowledge outside of the Faerie Realm. Until one day, your sins were forgiven as you put yourself on the line to save the Faerie Realm from unjust damnation at the cost of half of your power. That was 150 years ago, and now—in the year 20XX—with the release of your races’ long lost brethren, the Monsters; the world of Humans and Fae are shaken once more…However…Something is strange…
Relationships: Alphys/Undyne (Undertale), Asgore Dreemurr/Toriel, Papyrus (Horrortale)/Reader, Papyrus (Swapfell)/Reader, Papyrus (Underswap)/Reader, Papyrus (Undertale)/Reader, Papyrus (underfell)/reader, Sans (Horrortale)/Reader, Sans (Swapfell)/Reader, Sans (Underfell)/Reader, Sans (Underswap)/Reader, Sans (Undertale)/Reader
Series: Undertale Series [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1650118
Comments: 199
Kudos: 427
Collections: Reader Insert





	1. Prologue: In The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Lol, you guys remember when I said that I was gonna make another story? Welp. Here it is.
> 
> I wanted to try my hand at the "Reader X A Whole Bunch Of Skellies" trope. Kinda a fangirl of that genre ngl
> 
> Anyways, hope ya'll enjoy! Tell me if something bothers you or if you have any suggestions! Criticism is welcomed!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The beginning of all things must, eventually, come to an end."

…

_Prologue_ _ : In The Beginning… _

…

_Once upon a time, the world was ruled by three races: Monsters, Humans, and Fae Folk._

_For eons they lived in harmony learning from one another, caring for one another, and loving for one another._

_There was togetherness, peace, and most importantly, love._

_Truly, they lived in an era of prosperity…_

_…However…_

_Good things, no matter how much we wish it so, never last long…_

_After millennia of peace, there were beginning rumblings of thunder between the races. Discontent was beginning to flow forth from the era of peace, changing it into an era of fear._

_The humans were beginning to fear the Monsters and the Fae, as they soon began to lose their vestiges of magic that had been present in their ancestors and further ancestors._

_They were getting weaker. They were losing power._

_They feared that once they lost their magic forever, they wouldn’t be able to compete against the Monsters and Fae, as their magical potential only grew stronger with each generation. They lived longer, had more magical power, and were physically stronger than humans._

_“It would only be a matter of time before they subjugate us,” the humans thought._

_“We will no longer have power,” they whispered._

_“We will no longer live in peace!” They cried._

_Eventually the murmurings of fear grew to shouts of paranoia, before eventually growing into insatiable outrage._

_The era of fear had passed._

_…And with that, the era of war began._

_For centuries the three races fought against each other. Friends turned on friends, lovers turned against lovers, family turned against family._

_The Monsters were distraught that their Human allies turned against them. They were creatures of mercy, compassion, and love after all. When the outrage began, they did all they could to quell it—hoping to salvage what was once a bond forged in fire, before it turned to a bond forged in rot._

_Their pleas fell on deaf ears and their acts of MERCY were fruitless._

_They had no choice but to FIGHT._

_The Fae Folk, however, were different than their monster brethren. They were creatures made of trickery, spirit, and earth. When the outrage of the Humans arose, they immediately began to arm themselves against them. They were not as MERCY-ful as their Monster-counterparts._

_For to earn the trust of a Fae, is nigh impossible to accomplish._

_However to break the trust of a Fae, is as easy as snapping a dry twig._

_The Fae Folk, of course, sided with the Monsters and together the two races fought against their traitorous brothers which would begin a long and arduous war that would last for four centuries._

_Nevertheless, with any battle there must be a victor._

_And the victor in this legend were those on the side of the unjust._

_Though they had lost many, the Humans were victorious in the war. What they lacked in magical prowess, they made up for in SOUL-power as the SOUL of a human could be the equivalent of a nuclear bomb._

_The Humans began to round up as much Monsters and Fae Folk as they could, as they had a plan to seal them under the Earth where they would remain forever, so that Humans could rule supreme._

_The Fae Folk, however, had a plan of their own._

_The Queen of the Fairies, Queen Titania, had amassed enough magical power to create a dimensional realm where Fae and Monsters could live forever in harmony—and away from their oppressors._

_She had planned this for the better part of the last century of the war; when she and the Council had noticed that their allied numbers were dwindling faster than the humans’._

_However once the final remnants of magic had fallen into place, the majority of Monster-kind was sealed underground by seven of the most powerful mages the Humans could muster._

_So with a heavy heart, the Fae Folk escaped to the new realm with the rest of Monster-kind that were left behind, and never returned to the plane of mortals._

_…That is until now…_


	2. Thorn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we learn about ourselves and our roots.
> 
> So, guys. I just opened up a Ko-Fi, and if ya want you can support me over there! Every little bit helps, and just $3! (I'll see if I can change the price soon)  
> Over there I'll post little secrets and tidbits of what's to come with my current works and future projects as I don't really use tumblr.  
> And for those whom are feeling especially "thirsty", I've already posted a little sliver of Chapter Three and Four! (^ = v = )
> 
> Thanks again guys!
> 
> Support me on [Ko-Fi](https://ko-fi.com/saucyawkwardness)!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by: [Skeleon x Skeleton](https://www.archiveofourown.org/works/15966272/chapters/37239746) by Tea_Cup (PumpkinFlash)

…

_Chapter One_ _: Thorn _

…

Your earliest memory was that of the color red.

You remembered that it was anywhere and everywhere. As far as the eye could see. There was only red.

As you aimlessly…existed there, you remembered that it felt cold in that world of red.

Something told you then that what you felt wasn’t supposed to be associated with that color.

You do not know why you thought so, but you did know that it was strange and it made sense to you.

The world of red and its encompassing coldness was all you knew and it felt like it would be all that you would ever know.

And you existed there.

Waiting…

_For what?_

You did not know, yet you did.

You had to wait.

_Why?_

Because, something was coming. You had to wait for it.

_What was coming?_

You did not know, yet you did. You had to—!

White.

…

You saw white now.

And green.

And grey.

And brown.

And… _Red_.

You remembered sitting up in what was now your body, covered head to toe in the color white. You would soon learn that it was snow, but you didn’t know it then. You remembered looking down at your hand? Paws? Well, whatever it was, it was large and it had massive claws.

And there were two of them.

You flexed your appendages and went to cover your face. You felt a hard material full of indents and chipped features that was apparently your face. Your appendages scoured down until—!

Ouch, that was sharp.

What was that?

You touched it again. It was still sharp.

You touched along the area of the sharp thing.

…

There were many of those.

And that was on your face?

What was it?

You didn’t know how you knew, but something, somewhere in your mind told you that what you were touching was a skull.

Your face was a skull apparently.

You ran one of your clawed appendages in the area of where you could see.

…It dipped inside and scratched the inside of your head.

…Yeah, you definitely had a skull for a face.

You remembered after deftly exploring your new body (apparently you knew you were a female), you remembered standing up and looking at your surroundings.

The color of white was everywhere and it was cold under your hooves (that you had for some reason). You remembered being in a forest, with the skies being a gloomy grey, and sounds a plenty that you couldn’t identify. There was so much _new_ that you didn’t know where to begin in your new plane of existence.

Then you saw it.

The color red.

Covering a…thing…?

Hmm, it was smaller than you.

You touched it.

…It didn’t move.

You picked it up.

You used your new appendages to turn the thing this way and that. Holding each individual appendage in your own and shaking it, seeing if the new entity would wake up.

Maybe it could explain to you why it was covered in red.

Maybe it was just like you and explain to you what exactly you were.

Well, if you could get it to wake up that is.

Hmm, rude.

You noticed that when you held the thing by its hind-paws (though it didn’t look like your hind-paws), its skull had let out a pink thing near its opening. Curious, you turned the thing right-side up and examined the pink thing. 

It looked strange and was even smaller than the thing you were holding. You used two of your claws and opened and closed the orifice which housed the pink thing. You decided to mimic it and were pleasantly surprised that you also had an opening as well.

You reached inside your own opening to see if you had a pink thing. You felt something slimy and wet brush against your claws, making you let out a startled grunt. You pulled out the slimy thing as far as it could go and stopped once it went past your eyeline.

Apparently, you didn’t have a pink thing. You had something that was darker in color. Something told you that the color was… purple. But not?

You let out a snort of air through your nose-hole. 

Violet. The color was violet.

As you further observed the thing covered in red (comparing its parts with yours), you heard something that was in your head but you didn’t think it.

_“Dearest Child of Thorn and Shade, why are you playing with that Mage? It is already dead and its SOUL passed on.”_ It said. _“There is no need for you to antagonize it any further.”_

Your head perked up, your back ramrod straight as you looked at your surroundings. You saw nothing in the field of white and grey. You snuffled in annoyance before looking back at the thing in your appendages. Did it finally decide to speak?

The strange thought in your head…? No, no… it wasn’t you. What was it…? A-A…voice. Yes, it was a voice. The voice let out a sound that was airy and wispy. It made you feel something. Something that was opposite of the cold under your hooves and the coldness of the red world…

Something…warm…

_“Down here, young one.”_ The voice said, and your sockets followed the direction of the voice to see a…

Plant.

It was a plant.

Something told you that talking plants weren’t normal, but yet it felt normal?

Hmm, strange.

You watched the plants leaves sway in the cold breeze as it let out that strange sound again. It was abrupt and constant, and from the bouncing of its leaves, the sound was derived of amusement.

From the tickling in your skull, you had another epiphany.

Laughter. That sound was laughter.

The plant was laughing at you.

…You didn’t know how you felt about that.

_“So you say that I am strange, how odd! How odd!”_ The round plant chittered airily. _“A Child of Thorn, a Child of Shade; born from the blood of an outcast of a Mage! Baying strangeness in its sight, yet not knowing of its unorthodox fright!”_ The plant, the bush—you now realized—sang in a melodic tune. Yet the song felt jeering, _wrong_.

What did it mean?

_“I mean, young one, that your birth is odd! Odd, is what I mean! By the Queen, I never thought that I would birth a child, and from the blood of a Mage no less!”_ The bush let out a snort (even though it didn’t have a nose… or a face). _“How interesting! How vile! You are now here, even though you should not! Ha ha! What fun!”_

Ignoring its strange ramblings, you tilted your skull at the strange plant as you realized that it could hear you.

_“Well of course I can, dearest child, dearest daughter! You are speaking, yes? Speaking in the tongue of our people, speaking in the tongue of the traitor, speaking in the tongue of the lost, forgotten, and dearly missed!”_ You felt like if it could, the strange bush would twirl around in a delighted tizzy _. “Worry not dearest one, as your mother I will teach you all that I know and care for you even if no else will!”_

**_“Mo…ther…?”_ ** You flinched so violently that you accidentally dropped the thing covered in red—the Mage—once you heard your voice for the first time. That was you? That was your voice? You sounded…strange? Were you supposed to sound like this?

_“Yes, apparently that is what I am to you, and what I shall forever be! But I suppose that human there, the rejected Mage, is your father as you were born from my soil and his blood.”_ The plant, your supposed mother, sounded kind of put out from mentioning the Mage in your appendages as your father. _“Well, if it is the Will Of Gaia, then so shall it be! Heehee!”_

You sat down with an unceremonious whump, by the bush that was your mother. You now noticed how her branches has razor sharp hooks in them, and berries the color of indigo sprouting from lush, frost-tipped leaves. They smelled delicious.

**_“Fa…ther…? Huma…n…? Blo…od…?”_ ** You questioned curiously, playing with your dead father’s arms as your mother explained. You wondered why he and your mother were smaller than you.

_“While I don’t much like humans, you should put your father down dear.”_ Your mother scolded you, making you hunch your broad shoulders in remorse. _“He has already suffered a fate most foul by those other nasty humans, it wouldn’t do to desecrate him like this.”_

You let out a whine of acknowledgement, before using your large, wide claws to dig up the dirt near your mother’s roots. Once you created a hole big enough, you gently placed your new father in there—by the direction of your mother—with his face turned upwards towards the skies, and buried him snuggly in the dirt.

_“Now child, let me explain to you all that I know, and the world that you are now a part of. The world of Monsters, Humans, and Fae, and a world of magic, blood, and loss.”_ To your surprise, a thin branch stretched towards your snout before blooming lush green leaves dotted with indigo berries that had a sweet smell to them.

_“And why you are now the Child of Nightshade and Thorn.”_

* * *

  
  


You felt your consciousness come to as you shook off the last vestiges of your dream. Your eyelights winked back into existence, the color of rich violet, as they took in their surroundings. You were submerged underwater, in a shallow pool, with mixtures of aloe sap, lilypads, and herbal concoctions that promoted health and longevity—at least from word of mouth.

Slowly sitting up with a groan, letting the rivulets of water gently caress and spill down your body before rejoining with the larger body of water. You let out a yawn, your sharp fangs glinting in the morning light before standing up to view your surroundings.

You were in a deciduous forest with bird songs galore, as the first light of the sun slowly began to creep up the horizon. The shallow water that was your bed for the night, was a shallow pond that was suffused with healing magic to help animals or nearby Fae whom were injured, fatigued, or simply needed a little pick me up.

As you looked at the water, staring at your reflection, you remembered the remnants of your dream. Well, _memory_ to be precise.

It was of your birth, many centuries ago, and how you met your mother and father for the first time. You learned a great many things from your strange mother, what certain things meant or was, what she was, what your father was, what this world was. You learned of your race, the Fae Folk, and how you lived in a realm called _Tir na nÓg_ , or the _Faerie Kingdom_ . You learned of the hierarchy, how Queen Titania and King Oberon were rulers of the Fae, and were Mother and Father to all faeries. You learned of the different climates of _Tir na nÓg_ , and how each one housed a section of the kingdom. You learned many things from your mother…

Yet you never learned what you were.

_“Your birth was strange, and your visage is even stranger my child!”_ Your mother cooed _, “You are many things, yet you are not anything! You are here, yet not! You are faerie, yet you are not faerie! Your strangeness is unique, enticing! The fact that you crawled out of my roots without me knowing is proof enough of your tenacity, haha!”_

…Your mother, was a strange one.

As you looked into the water, you caressed your skull. You learned that your skull was that of a wolf’s, with sharp molars and even sharper canines. And protruding out of your head were two thick, dark-brown horns that curved outwards in a unique show of thick, twisted keratin. Your mother said that they were akin to an Alpine goats’ horns.

You brought up your frontal appendage. Your mother had told you that they were paws at the time, they were used to grab things. That was when you were in your baser form. Now they were similar to a human’s, however, they were tipped with razor sharp, black claws. The claws complimented your skin color—which was a dark grey—with your nipples and the flesh of your labia being violet, the color of your magic.

You were tall for a faerie, probably not as tall as a _Ghilliedhus*_ —a type of tree faerie—whose complexion resembled that of which it was born from. They were hulking, ginormous titans with rough barked skin, deadly birched claws, and gnarled spikes covering their bodies from head to toe. Their heights usually ranged from twelve to fifteen feet, with the smallest recorded one coming in at around eight-feet. Yes, you were nowhere near their indomitable height; but your 6’7” was a literal head above most other faeries in the kingdom.

With a hum you traced over your _generous_ curves and lightly scritched your claws over your skeletal tail that protruded from the base of your spine. It seems that your skull wasn’t the only skeletal component that made up your body. The ribs and spine of your skeleton was also visible on your skin; meshing quite well with the flesh that surrounded it.

Scooping up a handful of water and scrubbing your bone-white face, you shook out the last vestiges of water still clinging to your skin and bones before wading your way to the shoreline where your clothes lay.

“Mistress Y/N,” A meek, wispy voice called out to you as you managed to get one hoof out of the water. You looked down to see a small creature, no taller than the smallest of human toddlers, scurry over to you with your robes. The creature had thin, wiry limbs made of tree bark, a body covered with a plethora of green leaves, and a single large eye visible in a tight circle of darkness. These Fae were called _“Silva-Lentus”_ , or the _“Forest Trickster”_. They were of a lower faerie class as they thrived on playing minor pranks against any unfortunate enough to trespass on their territory.

While not thrumming with explosive power, they more than made up for it in their numbers.

You hummed your thanks as you genially took your clothes from its tiny claws, watching in amusement as you saw a few more Silva helping to bring over the rest of your clothes to you. “I thank you for your generous service, Little One,” you bent down and patted the head of the first Silva and gave it scratches once it began to purr. “To what do I owe the pleasure of meeting you and your clan?”

That seemed to snap the Silva out of its contentment of your fingers before it bowed to you in reverence. “My Mistress, your presence is required by Her Highness at the Anthill post-haste. She has specifically requested your presence for a royal announcement before meeting with the rest of the nobility.”

You sighed through you nasal cavity in slight annoyance before beginning to dress yourself. Her Highness, Queen Titania of the Fae, had been running you ragged with work lately. Ever since the emergence of Monsters just two years ago, and the integration of the Fae Folk just six months after the _“Ascension”_ , you had been running interference between the Fae Kingdoms and even human settlements that knew of Fae Folks’ existence.

You were little more than a carrier pigeon at this point.

Regardless, you had more freedom than one would think of your position--being the equivalent of a noblewoman and a heroine to many Fae across _Tir na nÓg_ \--and could do whatever you pleased so long as you reported to the King and Queen a few times out of a month.

You fancied your freedom of research and observation, thank you. And you didn’t plan on giving it up anytime soon. 

You slipped on the final touch to your outfit before regarding yourself in the crystal clear water. You wore a sleeveless, bodycon, black maxi-dress with a thigh slit that reached all the way to your ankles. You also sport a white-lace, blue-stone, bolo necktie tucked just beneath your red silk-collar and your horns are adorned with a string of gold that hangs to your neck and connects to a large red cloth with gold-trimmings. To complete the look, you slipped on your black leather trench jacket--embroidered with white thread--with a contented hum.

You flipped over the red-clothed veil to cover your skull before snapping your clawed fingers. An incantation circle with ancient runes appeared before the lot of you in thin air, the scribbles of lost language undulating and shifting rapidly, before a vintage gated door appeared in its place and opened for you.

“Come along then, the Queen does not like to be held waiting.” You said as you gracefully stride through the iron gates; the smaller faeries stumbling in after you.

Time to see what forest fire you would walk into this time.

... 

“Your Highness,” You said amicably, kneeling on one knee with a hand resting respectfully over your heart. You bowed your head in respect--your veil hanging off of your skull--violet eyelights gazing rigidly at the wooden ground. You had arrived at the Anthill just a little over ten minutes ago, bidding farewell to your entourage of Silva as you went deeper into the Anthill.

The Anthill is the equivalent of a royal castle where the King and Queen of the Fae and their servants resided. It was one gargantuan tree--the tallest tree of all of _Tir na nÓg_ \--hollowed out to reside structures of civilizations within its trunk. And at the very top where the bridge-point of the branches began to spread out, was the royal throne room of where Queen Titania and King Oberon ruled. To call it a “throne room” was a bit of a stretch as the King and Queen usually sat amongst the giant branches when they issued their orders.

Fae Folk do not value materialistic things unlike their foolish mortal cousins the humans.

“Ah, my dearest Thorn!” A honeyed, dulcet feminine voice called out with warm excitement. “It has been far too long since I have seen you my dearest one! How are you?” As you looked up from the ground to behold the Queen, you were met with a warm gaze.

Queen Titania was a Fae that was as tall as a human with floor-length black hair that was parted at the center, violet eyes and _very_ large breasts. Her silky gown dress was black like twilight with a corset made of golden thread pulled tightly against her torso. The front of said dress had a large slit to show the white under dress that resided below. Curled in her hair was a circlet that resembles green branches.

With a pale, feminine hand raised in the air did you finally get up from your kneeled position. Your eyelights shifted downwards to see a stoneworth faerie staring at you in indifference. This grey-skinned faerie was diminutive in stature with head that consisted of stone, a golden necklace, and a large brown fur pelt that covered most of its body. It held a wooden staff taller than its height which was decorated with golden banglets that would chime a tune every time the faerie moved. Its ankles also had golden banglets and its two-toed feet were covered snuggly by strawed sandals.

“I am doing well, my Queen.” You answered politely with a respectful bow. You turned towards the stoneworth faerie and gave a slight dip of your head. “Spriggan, a pleasure to see you.”

The guardian just let out a masculine grunt, its male baritone daunting compared to its small size, before giving you a nod in acknowledgement. “Thorn.” Was all he said before going back to his post.

So serious, that one.

“Dearest Thorn, do you know why I have called you here today?” Titania said gently, her visage hardening into a serious one; signifying that the time for pleasantries was over.

You gave a shake of your skull. “The _Silva-Lentus_ have only told me to come post-haste for a royal announcement. That what you are about to share with me will be shared with the other nobles later on. The exact details of said announcement was never mentioned.”

The Faerie Queen nodded in apparent satisfaction. “Then the little ones have done their jobs as instructed. Thorn, as you are aware, it has been two years since our brethrens’ _Ascension_ and our own integration with our _traitorous mortal cousins_ .” It was apparent that the Queen did not like humanity. Only a rare few exceptions such as _Sleigh Beggies_ did escape her distaste. “The progression has been slow but noticeable, with rights for Monsters and our people being in effect by humans since last year.”

You nodded cordially. This was all known fact to you at this point. While you usually stayed away from humans and their civilizations, you were on the uptake with the news outlets that the world provided. In your last residence, you were on the other side of the world yet Monsters’ coming from the mountain had reached your isolated nook.

“However, we have only been displaying our more... _peaceful_ Fae to the public eye--disparaging all others because of the tentative relationship that we and Monsters have with humans.” Titania then had a truly evil look on her face as she linked her slim fingers together in a delicate web of flesh, bone, and magic. “I wish to rectify this immediately. It is only just that _all Fae_ have this experience of being one yet again with our Mother Soil, Gaia. Why, I would be a _terrible ruler_ if I didn’t allow my subjects to bask in this coveted moment of peace between our races after eons, yes?”

This was the definition of a rhetorical question.

Unlike the preposterous misconceptions that humanity had on Fae Folk and faeries, they were not all cutesy, adorable, and beautiful creatures that they painted them out to be. While some resembled the humans’ ideologies, majority of Fae-kind was…

Downright **_terrifying_ **.

Fae were creatures of trickery, spirit, and earth; they represented and embodied what Mother Earth, _Gaia_ , was down to her core.

**_A cruel mistress._ **

Many fae were gigantic or had dark, twisted powers that was in no way shape or form considered “safe.” This was due in-part because of Earth’s environments. From molten hot magma, to deadly salty seas, to hydrothermal vents housing deadly chemicals, and so on and so forth. All Fae personified Earth’s nature in their very SOUL to their very magic.

And despite your unusual upbringing, you were no different.

You couldn’t help but sigh at your Queen’s implications. You saw Spriggan shake his head out of the peripheral of your eyelights as well. Well, it was good to know that you weren’t the only one in disagreement with your ruler’s proposition. “My Queen, while I do agree that all faeries should rekindle with Mother Gaia again,” You quickly cut her off as she opened her mouth, “you must, however, think of the backlash that will most definitely occur with the humans. They are rather paranoid and skittish creatures after all, they will no doubt be monogered by their fear once again and all of our progress will be lost.”

You watched as the Ruler of the Fae Folk pout, actually pout, like a petulant toddler.

You grumbled under your breath as you pinched the bridge of your skeletal snout with a clawed hand. Goodness gracious, she was going to be the death of many at this rate.

“Perhaps we should wait for the other noblemen and women to appear before solidifying your decree, Your Highness.” You suggested helpfully. “This seems hardly fair without their input as they reign over the specific genus’ of faerie.”

Titania only huffed out a shrill _“Hmph!”_ with her arms crossed under her buxom breasts before turning away from you in defiance. You looked to Spriggan for help, but he merely shook his head before dutifully going back to his post.

Stars, help us all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ghilliedhus* - a type of nature faerie—whose complexion resembled that of which it was born from. They are hulking, ginormous titans with rough barked skin, deadly birched claws, and gnarled spikes covering their bodies from head to toe. They usually reside in heavily forested areas, mostly deciduous or temperate forests, and their gigantic heights make them the second largest Faes in all of Fae Kind (with Dragons being the first). They are usually stoic creatures, never really showing emotion, but they are kind to smaller faeries and have extraordinary green thumbs. (Image Reference for Fae is here: https://tera.fandom.com/wiki/Ghilliedhus)
> 
> Silva-Lentus (a.k.a. The Forest Trickster) - a type of nature faerie whom are diminutive in height--being no taller than the smallest of human toddlers--and have thin, wiry limbs made of tree bark, a body covered with a plethora of green leaves, and a single large eye visible in a tight circle of darkness. They are a lower class of faerie as they thrive on playing minor pranks against any unfortunate enough to trespass on their territory. They do not have much physical power but they can overwhelm their opponents in sheer numbers as Silva usually stay in groups up to 1000 strong. They occasionally fancy human flesh and can practice cannibalism if push comes to shove. (Image Reference - they are the creature on the bottom left: https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/mahou-tsukai-no-yome/images/a/ad/Profile.Fae.png/revision/latest?cb=20171007145517)
> 
> Queen Titania - Image Reference: https://ancientmagusbride.fandom.com/wiki/Titania
> 
> Spriggan - Image Reference: https://ancientmagusbride.fandom.com/wiki/Spriggan
> 
> Next chapter will be out on the 15th!


	3. Congregation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The royal meeting commences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Support me on [Ko-Fi](https://ko-fi.com/saucyawkwardness)!
> 
> Inspired by: [Skeleon x Skeleton](https://www.archiveofourown.org/works/15966272/chapters/37239746) by Tea_Cup (PumpkinFlash)

…

_Chapter Two:_ _Congregation_

…

  
  


You stood by Spriggan as you watched the noble men and women of the Fae slowly trickle in the Anthill. Some used their magics to apparition their way into the courtroom, others stepped in via interdimensional portals. Either way, they all flaunted their powers in some form of fashion to display that they truly were a cut above the rest of the other faeries.

You would acknowledge those that greeted you, which were many, and gave an exasperated sigh as you noticed that many of the upper class had focused their attention on you. It couldn’t be helped as it had been one-hundred fifty years since you last attended a royal announcement.

“ _Ya-hoo~!_ ” An eager masculine voice called. “Looks like I made it just in time for the party!” You, and many others, turned your attention to see King Oberon jump his way down, from the dizzying heights of the Anthill’s branches, to sit next to his wife.

King Oberon was a mostly humanoid looking Fae, with fair skin, sharp yellow eyes and long, bushy, dark green hair that reached beyond his back. However those similar traits that he shared with humans ended as you perused the rest of his form. He had heavy, twisted deer horns that sat proudly upon his bushel of wild hair; all sharpened to dangerous points. His lower body resembled that of a furred, hoofed mammal as he had creamy brown hind legs and dark brown deer hooves that were polished to perfection.

He wore a navy blue tunic with gold trimmings at the collar, navy blue shorts that rested above his tarsus (which was the equivalent of a human’s ankle), and a hefty light brown animal pelt that hung around his slim waist.

Oberon gave his wife a sweet nuzzle on the top of her head—which she pushed him away in embarrassed annoyance—before beholding his crowd of subjects. Once his keen yellow eyes landed on you however, you knew from his brightening grin that you were in for a _long_ meeting.

“ _By Gaia_ , it’s Little Thorn!” Oberon squawked with glee, his elongated fangs showing as his grin stretched to unnatural proportions. “Well, this meeting has just gotten a lot more interesting! I never see you at one of these things, I thought you hated them! Haha!”

The King reminded you a lot of your mother. Whimsical, carefree, and rather strange. But also mischievous, taunting, and brutish at times.

It never ceased to startle you whenever you beheld King Oberon being wise and cruel.

And from his patronizing tone as he watched you with amused, yet condescending golden eyes; it reminded you of _why_ he was **king**.

From a lesser creatures standpoint, they would feel inadequate and intimidated by his dangerously fluctuating presence. You, however, respected him for it unyieldingly. The King often put his daft, whimsical front out for the world to peruse, never guessing on what lies beneath his cheery smile. He defined the word _“trickster”_ to its unequivocal core and he wore it like the best of medallions.

So whenever he would display even an ounce of his true emotions to you, it was the highest of honors that you were privy to such a display.

“My King,” You greeted him with a hand over your non-existent heart and gave him a cordial bow. As you straighten, you answered his indirect question in a blunt fashion. “I do not hate attending royal gatherings, I just find them displeasing and would rather make other uses of my time.”

He let out a bellowing guffaw, his hands clasping against his stomach as his cloven feet kicked out in raunchous amusement. Even Queen Titania giggled at your response, violet eyes crinkling in delight.

“ _Pff!_ Ha ha ha!” Oberon let out an unflattering snort before wiping away a single tear with a finger. “Ah, your characteristic bluntness never ceases to amuse me Little Thorn! That’s why you’re one of my favorites!”

“Your Highnesses,” Spriggan’s deep baritone cut through the merriment with a dutiful air. “I believe that it is time to commence the meeting.”

“Ah yes, thank you Spriggan.” Titania said as she refocused her attention back to the nobles beginning to gather around the “thrones”. She gave Oberon a harsh nudge once he started to complain about “ruining his fun” before clapping her hands to behold everyone’s attention. “My Children! I thank you all for attending on this auspicious day! There is much to discuss and plan for the future of the Fae as a whole. Now, let us begin.”

…

The clamoring of the nobles was to be expected after they received the proposal of the Queen. Many were supportive of the Queens verdict, eager to get their kind out into the ancient world of Mother Gaia—however, just as many were in alignment with your thoughts, thinking of the backlash it may cause with the humans.

Needless to say, there was a prominent amount of contention between the nobles.

“I, for one, am in agreement with this objective,” An extremely small faerie, only slightly taller than a human hand, stated confidently. “We should not be stifling our own just because the discomfort of some **_puny_ ** race wills it so. I have many cousins whom are classified as “dark faeries” and I have promised them the everlasting sun of Mother Gaia. I _will_ make do on my promise.”

This small Fae was Lady Avis. She ruled over the genus of faeries that were (extremely) diminutive in nature and were proficient in wielding the natural elements of Earth. You believed that humans called them _“sprites”_. She was humanoid with bird-like features. Her short “hair” a mess of emerald green feathers as well as her feminine body; her legs were akin to the legs of hawks with sharp, deadly talons. Her wings were strangely draconic with three piercing horns jutting out of her skull like a miniature crown, and her tale was similar to a peacocks as the long feathers shifted slightly in her flight. She had piercing, blood-red eyes with black sclera and a thousand rows of tiny sharp teeth filled her mouth.

Lady Avis ruled over Ariels, various Fire Sprites, various Vodyanoi (water spirits), animal faeries, tooth faeries, and bone faeries.

“Avis, you must think about this logically. It would be best to not invoke another war against the humans again, no matter if they have lost their affinity for magic. We do not have enough information on their weaponsmithing or tools of warfare to be able to act so recklessly.” A stern feminine voice interjected.

This Fae had the torso of a beautiful human woman with smooth ebony skin, gorgeous aquamarine dreadlocks that reached mid-back, and voluptuous bare breasts whose nipples were pierced with studs of gold. She wore a thick white veil that covered her eyes and a silver head-piece beaded with white pearls, opals, and diamonds like a halo of light. Her lower half, however, was that of a vampire squid with tentacles writhing languidly against the wooden ground and webbing that would occasionally flare with her emotions.

This was Lady Utrarius and she ruled over Selkies, Mermaids and Mermen, Sirens, various water spirits, and water nymphs. She was also a giantess as she towed over you by a good three feet. Her dominion consisted of faeries whose affinities lay in water as many of them resided in ponds, rivers, seas, and oceans.

“Ladies, let’s not be hasty and bay for each others’ blood. Let’s try to see if we can come to a consensus.” A warm, milky male voice placated the two females whom looked about ready to rip out each others’ throats. The male had long raven-hair locks and piercing dark-blue eyes. He had pale skin, almost as white as snow, and long elven ears that twitched slightly in nervousness at the violent display the two women performed. He wore a loose fitting black robe, a tan brown stole that reaches down past his shoulders, and brown handmade slippers that fitted comfortably on his feet. His height was reminiscent of a youthful male human which sat around at a content 6’2”.

This was Lord Vesta Aoife, a gentler type of Fae that ruled over Elves, Brownies, Silkies, Changelings, and Muryans. His dominion consisted of faeries that were inclined towards domestication. They were faeries who shined in the home and hearth, family, and work based skills. They were the carpenters, builders, and construction workers of the Fae realm. Vesta was usually a peacemaker and neutral party in deliberation, and he often had to run mediator between the more rowdy of his esteemed counterparts.

The two females gave each other fearsome growls before turning away with a huff. Vesta sighed in relief before turning his attention back to the King and Queen. “Your Highnesses, I would like to refrain from giving my verdict until more information is given. While I am confused, I do not wish for my emotions to cloud my judgement.” A few nobles murmured their agreement with Vesta’s resolution while some scoffed at his offhand slight against them.

Despite his motherly disposition, he _was_ still Fae afterall.

“Hmm, duly noted Lord Vesta,” The Queen acknowledge with a nod before turning towards you with a trickster of a grin. “That is why it would only be just if Lady Thorn explained the situation concerning the mortal realm. Out of all of us congregated here, she has the most experience dealing with the humans.” You heard Oberon snicker at his wife foisting all of the responsibility onto you. You let out an irritated snort of air that signified your displeasure despite your outer disposition being gracefully poised.

From their giggling, the two royals noticed.

You straightened out your spine, pulled back your shoulders, and lifted your muzzle with grace before walking in front of the room to be front-and-center of the mass of nobles. You fold your arms behind your back before addressing the crowd. 

“Esteemed Lords and Ladies, as you are aware, it has been two years since our brethrens’ Ascension, and one year and six months since our migration to the human realm. Since then, relations with Monsters have been overwhelmingly positive while the humans show progressive behavior albeit at a hesitant rate.” You held a hand up to quiet the wispy chatter of the crowd. “To present the notion of incorporating the classification of “dark faerie” at such an early stage in the tentative truce we have with our mortal cousins is...a _dangerous_ decision.”

As expected, the throne room erupted into chaotic bellowing. You watched with an indifferent eye as Fae turned against Fae, threatening and shouting deafened the room in thunderous sound as each side yelled their thoughts on the issue. The neutral party of Fae gave you distasteful looks and voiced their exasperation at your bluntness and non-existent handling of the situation.

You rolled your eyelights before clapping once to get everyone’s attention. You put enough magic behind the action so that a ripple of disorderly magic ran rampant throughout the room, forcing the faeries to give you their attention once more. Your magic felt chaotic, unbridled, and **_wrong_ **and you used that to your advantage to keep everyone in line.

After all, the blood of a human mage and Fae ran through your entirety—which was as hazardous as it was chaotic.

“However, if we plan accordingly, there may be a way to introduce the class of dark faerie to the human realm without such hazardous repercussions.” You then turned your attention to the Mother and Father of the Fae Folk. “Queen Titania, King Oberon, I would like to suggest that we go through an _“inauguration”_ of sorts.”

“Inauguration? Do explain, Thorn.” Titania stated with a willy wave of her hand. She and her husband looked thoroughly peached at the chaos that was happening in their throne room. They haven’t been this entertained in centuries!

However, they did care about their Children receiving fairness in the human realm. But—at the moment—the importance of the meeting was put on the back burner as they watched “shit hit the fan”, or whatever their paranoid cousins were talking about these days.

You gave a polite bow to the royals. “Of course, Your Majesty. This plan is to simply pardon a certain amount of dark faeries into the mortal realm on a scheduled time period. Say if we ran a census of five hundred faeries to pass into the human realm. While we would give the humans time to adjust to their presence to a point where they are mildly comfortable before letting through another group. We would continue this method until—”

“The humans are so used to their presence that they won’t realize that we are still pumping a crap ton of our Children into the mortal plane! Brilliant!” Oberon finished for you with a delighted cackle as he applauded your scheme.

“Precisely.” You hummed, a little put out that you didn’t get the chance to bask in your thunder of showmanship. Ah well, next time you supposed.

You turned your skull to the side to take in the nobles’ disposition. You watched as they deliberated amongst themselves in a hushed manner, mulling over your thoughts and scheme with a calculated air. Nevertheless, by their nods and murmurs of agreement, it seemed as if they were in alignment with your proposition.

After a few more minutes of hushed chatter, Titania conjured a gavel out of thin air before banging it on her wooden throne of gnarled branches twice. Once the throne room was quiet, did she speak. “All in favor of the proposal of Lady Thorn, please say I.” The room was bathed in a unanimous chorus of “I’s”. You felt fairly proud of yourself in that moment. “All opposed?”

Silence.

“Motion carried.” With a final, authoritative bang of her gavel, was your plan set in stone. The Queen turned towards you with an almost impressed air about her. “Good work, Little Thorn. This decree will go into effect in a month’s time. I want you to assemble a team of figures to head this program and discreetly take notes of the humans’ behavior concerning our darker Children. Smooth this over with the Human Government if too much contention is displayed between us and them, and report to either Oberon or myself if any Fae is unjustly incarcerated or, Gaia forbid, **killed** . _Do you understand?_ ”

You answered her by kneeling before her with a clawed hand resting over your non-existent heart. From the clamoring behind you, you assumed that the other nobles followed your example.

_“If the Queen commands it...”_ You began, voice echoing like a foggy night enrapturing a ghost town in a thick layer of mist. Voices of many overlapping your own in a strange sonorous dance.

**_“...Then so shall it be.”_ ** You and the rest of the nobles said as one.

  
  


…

  
  


The crunching of underbrush filled your ear-holes, the sound a welcome familiarity compared to the unwelcome chaos that was parliament. You let out a snort of air through your nose-hole as you stepped out of the brightly glowing incantation circle that was burned into the ground.

As you looked around, you noticed that you were transported to a thick forested area with tall, large, and sturdy trees as far as the eye could see. Your eyelights perused the trees’ branches, noting that small infinitesimal flower buds were beginning to grow on the withered arms.

Spring would be coming soon in the mortal world.

With a jerk of your trench jacket’s lapels, a few smoothing pats of your dress, and making sure your red veil is secure over your skull--you set off in an unknown direction of the woods.

You began to reminisce about the royal meeting. After you and the other nobles were given your orders, the Queen and King left the Anthill to go make the announcement to the rest of Fae-kind. You had to wrestle back control of the wayward chattering of the esteemed class as you had to pick who would be apart of your team. Many vocal agreements and disagreements rang out along the ginormous tree-top as many voiced their opinions. It was an absolute clusterfuck of noise.

But with the forcible push of your magic by a strong clap, you finally returned tentative order to the throne-room.

You had already made your decision.

You had chosen Lord Vesta Aoife, Lady Utrarius, and Lord Ains Ooal Gown to be a part of your plan which was fondly named _“Gaia’s Ark”_. Lord Vesta was the most amiable and gentle out of the four of you. With his disposition as the ruler of carpenters and builders, the humans would be interested in Fae infrastructure and architecture. After all, humans tend to focus a lot of creating new places to reside and fancied all types of exotic designs.

Vesta would be your figure-head as he had a less intimidating appearance than the lot of you, as he resembled more closely to humans being an Elf. He would also run as peacekeeper and mediator as he was a fairly good spokesperson; he could talk his way out of any **FIGHT** if he so desired.

Lady Utrarius was the most stern and logical faerie that you have ever had the pleasure of meeting. With her taciturn mindset and always putting herself at a business standpoint, she would make a wonderful Head of Reconnaissance and Business. She was blunt and to the point and she was intimidating in not only height, but also in trade as well. No unjust behavior, no swindling, and no amount of corrupt political filibuster would escape her eye. She would be a phenomenal buffer against the hounds of the media, negative backlash, and outraged humans by taking them down with facts and logic.

Lord Ains Ooal Gown was an _Elderlich—_ a type of Fae that were powerful undead magic casters, capable of commanding lesser undead with their necromancy and casting highly destructive magic. He was a dark faerie with his sub-genus being skeleton. He wore an elaborate, jet-black academic gown adorned with golden and violet edges and was opened enough to show his skeletal ribs. He also had a dark red orb floating just under his ribs that emanated emotions of dread and loss.

On his shoulders were large bone-like armor with two giant red orbs attached in the armors’ middle, most likely being the centerpiece that held the covering together. He had a staff that he walked around with always—it being made of pure gold with intricate twists and bends that led up to the centerpiece which housed small dragon heads that held priceless jewels in their mouths. His sensuously long phalanges were adorned with the finest of rings, and the appendages led into sharp, deadly claws.

His dominating height of 9’3” made him a force to be reckoned with; his crimson eyelights which sat eerily in his eye-sockets that would strike fear into any lesser creature if they found themselves locked in his cold gaze. Along with his stoic face that only a (human) corpse of the undead could pull, have made others wary of him as they couldn’t read him due to him having no facial expressions whatsoever. 

Lord Ains ruled over Elderliches, Banshees, Church Grims, Will-O'-Wisps, and Skeletons. Additionally, he was affectionately called the _“Skeleton King”_. He would be a shining example of your administrative group, as he was a dark faerie who ruled over other dark faeries. Ains was one of the more intimidating genus of faeries, so once the humans would be introduced to him, they would know what to expect once you began to clear more faeries through into the mortal realm.

However, he wasn’t _just_ a guinea pig. Lord Ains had a brilliant mind (ha!) in finance, accounting, and political know-how. He was the lone Head of Treasury in the entirety of _Tir na nÓg_ and ran a close network of Fae that he trained and hand-picked himself to categorize, manage, and distribute funds throughout the Fae realm. He would be a wonderful and much needed asset in order to properly direct and tally human currency fairly to Fae all across the mortal Earth.

He was a fail-safe to make sure that all Fae would be _compensated equally_ , even if their traitorous mortal cousins would not extend that same courtesy.

_And from what I have been told by information brokers,_ You thought critically with your violet eyelights brightening in luminosity with the growth of your ire, _There is an insurmountable wage gaps between humans, monsters, and Fae. Despite Monsters and Fae having flooded the gold market as well as other precious gem markets._

You lifted up your snout to the changing sky. From the reds, vermillions, and oranges; it would be night soon.

_Technically, Monsters and Fae do not need jobs as we have enough monetary value to last us five human lifetimes. However, it is common nature to want to work even if an individual has no need to._ You perked up as you found a shallow cave from your walk in the woods. This would be a good resting area for tonight. _I will need to bring this up with Lord Ains as soon as possible._

Your hooves made loud clopping sounds once they came into contact with the hard rock that was situated around the cave. You inspected the crevice thoroughly, noting that it was deep enough to shield you from rampant winds and chilly rains if it was needed. Small animal bones littered the ground but from a quick whiff of the air, the cave had been abandoned for weeks.

“Looks like there won’t be any more unnecessary fighting tonight,” You chuckled with hot bursts of air exiting your nose-hole. “Good. I am rather taxed for today and would like to sleep for a fortnight if I can help it.” You then began to languidly strip out of your clothes until you were as naked as the day you were “born”. Your violet nipples perking up as a particularly cold draft of wind caressed against them, making your skeletal tail jerk before swishing lazy in the air.

You then folded up your clothes and put them off to the side before curling up into a tight ball; your veil flipped back behind your skull as your eyelights took in your surroundings with startling clarity.

Your eyelights watched as the evening sky was slowly awashed with beguiling blues and blacks, the twinkling of stars providing the only light in a dark little world.

Your thoughts, one by one, began to quiet until they were only hushed hums of what they once were; providing you a coveted era of peace, if only for a moment.

And as your magical eyelights began to waver before fizzling out like a dying flame that held on for so long, you wondered: _What will tomorrow bring?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> King Oberon Reference: [Oberon](https://ancientmagusbride.fandom.com/wiki/Oberon), and Image Reference: [ Oberon Part 2](https://s1.zerochan.net/Oberon.%28Mahou.Tsukai.No.Yome%29.600.2210828.jpg)
> 
> Lady Avis of Flight (OC) — A Fae of nobility who rules over the genus of faeries that are diminutive in nature and are proficient in wielding the natural elements of Earth. All Ariels, various Fire Sprites, various Vodyanoi (water spirits), animal faeries, tooth faeries, and bone faeries derived from her as she is a part of a species of Fae known as "Primogenitus" or "First-Born". Primogenitus are Fae who are the progenitors of other genus' of Fae whom use their genetic makeup to further evolve from them. All of the (royal) nobles in Tir na nÓg are Primogenitus. Her dominion resides in the skies of the Fae Realm and the mortal world.
> 
> Lady Utrarius of Neptune (OC) — A Fae of nobility who rules over Selkies, Mermaids and Mermen, Sirens, various water spirits, and water nymphs. She is also a "Primogenitus" whose dominion consists of faeries whose affinities lay in water as many of them reside in ponds, rivers, seas, and oceans. Fun fact, "Utrarius " means "water-carrier" in Latin.
> 
> Lord Vesta Aoife — A Fae of nobility who rules over Elves, Brownies, Silkies, Changelings, and Muryans. His dominion consists of faeries that are inclined towards domestication and are the carpenters, builders, and construction workers of the Fae realm. Vesta is also a "Primogenitus". His surname, "Aoife", means "beauty" or "radiance" in Irish. Vesta's dominion resides in the forests and mountains. He is based on the God Miach from the anime "DanMachi". His Image Reference is here: [Lord Vesta Aoife](https://danmachi.fandom.com/wiki/Miach)
> 
> Lord Ains Ooal Gown — A Fae of nobility who rules over Elderliches, Banshees, Church Grims, Will-O'-Wisps, and Skeletons. He is known as the "Skeleton King" as no other skeleton in the Fae Realm can reach his indomitable height and replicate his stoic demeanor. He is also a "Primogentus" and many dark faeries derive from him and Lord Alucard. He is also one of ten whose magic levels reaches frightening proportions. Ains' dominion resides in the Shadow Realm (another pocket realm in Tir na nÓg that is bathed in forever darkness) and the Skeleton Kingdom. His Image Reference is here: [Lord Ains](https://overlordmaruyama.fandom.com/wiki/Ainz_Ooal_Gown)
> 
> Fun Fact!: Tir na nÓg has many kingdoms that are ruled by the royal nobles. However, all of the kingdoms fall under the ultimate monarchy's rule, Queen Titania and King Oberon, and their power pales in comparison to the Anthill's. The Kingdoms are: The Skeleton Kingdom, The Vampire Kingdom, The Neptune Kingdom, The Fire Kingdom, The Hearth Kingdom, The Nature (Fýsi) Kingdom, and the Draconian Kingdom.
> 
> List of Fae (mentioned in this chapter): [Fae Folk](https://ancientmagusbride.fandom.com/wiki/Fae)
> 
> Next chapter out on the 22nd! Also, we meet our first skellie~! >:3


	4. Nightwalker in Daytime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's him~ >:3
> 
> And sorry that I'm a day late!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Support me on [Ko-Fi](https://ko-fi.com/saucyawkwardness)!  
> 
> 
> Inspired by: [Skeleon x Skeleton](https://www.archiveofourown.org/works/15966272/chapters/37239746) by Tea_Cup (PumpkinFlash)

…

_Chapter Three:_ _Nightwalker in Daytime_

…

  
  


You were awoken by loud snuffling and something cold and wet pressing against the side of your skull. Guttural whines and growls filled the air with the morning sun casting a harrowing beam of light on your dark grey skin, forcing you to wake up or you would be sunburned.

Well...that is if you _could_ get a sunburn.

Your violet eyelights winked back into existence in not a flare, but a whimper. Your vision instantly turned on as you took stock of your situation.

Wolves.

You were surrounded by wolves. Gray wolves it seemed to be.

It was a pack of fourteen, which was a rather odd number with six adults, three adolescents, and five pups. You pondered their rather strange number of packmates with a tilt of your head (you noticed that the pups and an adolescent copied your motion. How cute.) as you recalled Spriggan dropping you off near the First-Integrated City of Ebott as per request.

Due to the very nature of the sophistication of the area, wolf packs this big shouldn’t exist.

_“Hmm. Perhaps Monster-kind had a hand in it? Or is it the nature of the magic that permeates the air due to the barrier being destroyed?”_ Questions, questions. But regardless, it was time for you to move on. You had to set up base somewhere and you didn’t think that a small cave such as this would be a good idea.

You let out a grunt of annoyance as your horns bumped against the cave’s roof due to you sitting up. Yeah, not a great idea at all.

“It looked bigger from the outside at night.” You sighed under your breath before returning your attention back to the canines. A few of them had backed off once you sat up, two adults herding the pups away, while the rest stood their ground with wary growls and snarls.

Hmm, well this wouldn’t do.

Low rumbling filled your chest—its noise melding harmoniously with the natural sounds of the forest—and you began to slowly lean towards one in a comforting manner. It gave a low snarl, its pelt prickling up to make itself look bigger, but it eventually quieted once you rubbed your snout against its own in a gentle caress. Its hostility slowly died before its tail began to wag happily as it nuzzled you affectionately.

The pack began to calm down once it saw its packmate reacting positively to your presence. They too began to come up to you and give their own affectionate nuzzles and curious sniffs.

You think to yourself, watching with an amused air about you as the pups began to toddle over you with excited barking, that you would stay here for a little longer before you would move on.

* * *

The loud stomping of booted feet sliced through the air like a bullet leaving the chamber of a gun with explosive passion. However this individual was not aiming for subtly; well, at least this time around. They were patrolling the East-side of the Ebottian Forest as well as enjoying a nice stroll. It was a perfect day for a walk in the woods--the sun barely peeking over the horizon, casting the woodland in colors that sat between night and day.

It was rather eerie with the Moon just in the West and the Sun in the East, making the forest harbor an array of deep vermilions, blacks, indigos, blues, and blood oranges. It was strange yet beautiful and the dim lighting accentuating it even moreso.

The almost abysmal light didn’t deter the individual as they had excellent night vision. _“Nothing Is Too Great For The Great Papyrus!”_ They thought to themselves as they posed heroically to an unknown audience, their tattered red scarf blowing in the wind.

The individual was a skeleton, a very tall skeleton that loomed over all with a staggering height of eight-feet. They— _Papyrus_ wore a slightly stained white chest-plate with gold trim, coquelicot gloves—also framed by golden trims—that were worn and frayed in numerous places, blue briefs with a golden belt, and knee-high coquelicot boots. Their skull looked nothing like a humans’ yet carried somewhat similar traits to one. It was vertical with eyesockets that were small and sunken and large, sharp teeth that are crooked, uneven, and stained in some places.

Papyrus looked up at the morning sky, humming under their breath as they calculated the possible time in their non-existent mind. “HMM, IT IS ALMOST TIME FOR ME TO COOK BREAKFAST FOR THOSE LAZY BROTHERS OF MINE.” The masculine, **_loud_ **booming voice that exited his mouth resonated throughout the quiet forest, startling many animals to scurry away from his general direction.

The expression on his skull was unbelievably exaggerated as it shifted into a displeased grimace; solidifying his difference from human skeletons. “KNOWING SANS, HOWEVER, HE WON’T BE AWAKE UNTIL NOON! THE LAZYBONE!” With a dramatic tut as he shook his head, Papyrus began to backtrack from whence he came. Mentally marking potential spots for hunting as he noticed the abundance of wildlife in some places.

A musical whistle sang through his demented teeth, his excitement of a new day palpable as it oozed from his person like a visceral slough.

_It was a beautiful day outside._

_The birds are singing,_

_The flowers are blooming._

_On days like these, monsters like him…_

_…?_

_Should be barking like a dog?_

Papyrus immediately cut off his whistling, his abrupt end to a rather cheery tune was as startling as it was discomforting. His sharp hearing—despite him having no ears—picked up an incessant amount of noise coming north-eastward from where he was. At first he was confused. Why would there be dogs this far out into the woods? Unless they were Dog Monsters, even then he highly doubted they would venture out this far. From what he heard from his… _cousins_ , the Dog Monsters were living comfortably in the city. Dogamy and Dogaressa were enjoying themselves in some other country on a vacation.

The skeleton monster gave a purposeful hum as he rubbed his mandible (skeleton equivalent of a chin) in an inquisitive nature. He pondered himself around in circles, his giant foot tapping along with his thought process, as he wondered what the barking was all about.

“HRM. SANS SAID SOMETHING ABOUT NOT JUST DOGS BEING ABLE TO BARK ONCE.” He said loudly to himself, his sunken eyesockets shifting in slight suspicion at the noise. “SOMETHING ABOUT A… ERM, WHAT WAS IT? A WONG? YOULF? WOOVE?”

After a particularly loud bark from the north-east did it finally click in his empty head. With a snap of his phalanges and literal stars filling his sockets did he remember. “A WOLF! THAT’S WHAT IT WAS!” With a bright grin that showed more blood-stained teeth, the cool skeleton set off towards the direction of the carrying noise. “WOWIE! I’VE NEVER SEEN ONE BEFORE! I DON’T THINK WE HAD ANY WOLF MONSTERS BACK HOME!”

His footsteps went from booming to quiet in an instant. His hulking form went hunched, his long legs capitalizing on their long strides in getting to his destination swiftly. His eyesockets still had stars in them from his excitement, however they also held a glint of seriousness that only a professional could have.

This was no longer a skeleton with a sweet, if frankly terrifying, disposition.

This was now the profile of a seasoned hunter. A _predator_ if you will.

_And he was scouting for his_ **_prey_ ** _._

In less than ten minutes did he arrive at the source of all of the commotion. His footsteps were as quiet as a mouse and glided gracefully along the leaf-covered ground like a dewdrop rolling off of a leaf of a plant.

He then strategically hid himself behind a cluster of trees and thick underbrush as he observed the circumstances in front of him. He saw a large pack of dogs—”wolves” he reminded himself—that had congregated around a shallow cave. They had gorgeous grey fur, almost silver depending on the time of day you viewed, and keen eyes and ears as they cautiously kept lookout for oncoming threats.

He saw smaller versions of wolves scamper around with yips and yowls of delight, each chasing each other or playfully wrestling and nipping at one another. Their fur was fluffier and a little cleaner than their adult counterparts, most likely due to them being mere babes with no concept of danger unlike their seasoned elders. He even saw a few wolves that looked to be younger than the adults, yet older than the pups, meandering around before ultimately paying their attention to a large lump further in the cave.

_Large Lump?_ Papyrus thought to himself in bewilderment, focusing his impaired vision on the giant mass that had gathered the adolescent wolves’ fancy.

The mass then sat up.

Papyrus couldn’t help but exhale a loud gasp in surprise.

The mass looked to be a person…? No, it _definitely_ wasn’t a person as it had the skull of a wolf and the twisted horns of a goat. It had eyelights akin to his own but instead of being awashed in a blood-orange color, it was a genial violet. Its molars were sharp, and its fangs even sharper as they nuzzled their snout against one of the adolescent wolves whom returned the affection with vigor.

The great skeleton couldn’t help but blush, his cheeks turning the color of his magic, as he looked down and took notice of the entity’s state. _Stars_ , they were naked! And it wasn’t a _they_ or an _it_ ! It was a _female_!

She was very, **_very_ ** curvy and had prominence in _all the right places_ . His eyelights only flitted over her genitalia for a second, his mind was seared with the knowledge that the flesh of her genitals was the color of her magic. His blush burned brighter once he noticed that her ribs — her _skeletal_ ribs—were visible and meshed harmoniously with her flesh and skin.

He even saw a skeletal tail resting against her thic— _her thighs_.

He quickly finished up his mental survey noting that instead of (human) feet, she had cloven hooves which some of the pups were investigating with curious sniffs.

Well she clearly wasn’t human.

And he’s **never** seen a monster like her before. He felt that even with his somewhat spotty memory, he would remember someone as... _unique_ as her.

He couldn’t help put squeak when their eyelights met after he was done check-- _analyzing_ her. The wolves then followed her example before turning defensive, warning growls and barks filled the air like police sirens—loud, incessant, and authoritative.

“A nightwalker,” the female spoke, startling the giant monster out of his stare-down with the large canines around her. She gently ran a hand, he noticed that she had black claws, through the fur of the wolf closest to her; hoping to calm it down with doting pats and coos. “In the daytime? How curious. Are you quite alright? Will your magic be able to support you during the morning?”

As he stepped out of his hiding spot, Papyrus noticed that the female had a wonderfully smooth voice. It was nothing like he had ever heard before as it had stern undertones, yet enough feminine whimsy to be regarded as sweet and polite. It was pleasing to hear and the skellie thought that he wouldn’t mind listening to her talk for hours.

“WORRY NOT MADAME!” Papyrus reassured, his larger-than-life voice rampaging through the air like one hundred rhinos. A few wolves yelped in surprise, backing off a few paces yet still holding onto their defensive positions. The female’s eyelights expanded for a moment (in shock perhaps?) before returning to their regular size. “I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE PLENTY OF MAGIC TO LAST ME WEEKS--NAY, _MONTHS_ ALONE! NYEH HEH HEH!”

Well, he thought to himself, if only she _knew_.

The female regarded him for a moment in silence. Her blatantly scrutiny of his great form caused him to nervously wring his gloved hands together, fraying the already worn seams even further.

She seemed to have found what she was looking for as her eyelights softened into one of consideration instead of one of criticism.

“Well, I am glad that my fears are put to rest,” The wolf-goat woman giggled with a dainty hand attempting to cover the front of her muzzle. “You must forgive me, Great Papyrus, I assumed that you were of another race that I am familiar with. But I see now that you are a Monster, yes?”

“INDEED I AM!” The skeleton posed gallantly with his gloved hands on his hips, his scarf swaying in the non-existent wind. In fact, there was a front but the scarf was blowing in the _opposite_ direction. “THE BEST KIND OF MONSTER THERE IS, A _SKELETON MONSTER_ ! TRULY, WE ARE A CUT ABOVE THE REST! NONE COMPARE TO OUR AWESOME MIGHT AND _DASHING_ GOOD LOOKS! NYEH!” The frightening oaf’s smile grew larger once he heard the female laugh again. The wolves around her calming down until they went to doing whatever they were doing before. They seemed to not view him as a threat as he got along swimmingly with their newly christened packmate.

Papyrus found himself enjoying his time spent with the mysterious woman (he was slightly thankful for some of the wolves to lay across her body, covering her up somewhat). They talked and gabbed about anything and everything. He told her about his dreams, his aspirations, and his wants and ideologies. She told him about some of her likes and dislikes, favorite foods, favorite novels and music, as well as explaining to him her reason to coming to Ebott. For _“diplomatic business”_ , she said.

They both talked all throughout the morning, from dawn till noon. Both wondering why talking to such a complete stranger was so uplifting, and why they seemed privy to such information that they wouldn’t disclose to anyone else.

It was strange yet...welcomed.

Papyrus then turned to his mysterious new friend, a non-existent brow raising in question. “YOU KNOW MADAME, I DIDN’T WANT TO SEEM RUDE AT FIRST BUT I FEEL LIKE NOW IS THE TIME TO ASK. EXACTLY WHAT ARE YOU? YOU ARE DEFINITELY NOT A HUMAN, AND I DON’T THINK I’VE EVER SEEN A MONSTER QUITE LIKE YOU BEFORE.”

The inhuman female let out a huff of laughter, raspy chuckles exhaling from her person as her shoulders bounced in amusement. She seemed to be rather tickled pink by his bluntness. “I was wondering when you were going to ask Papyrus Darling,” You snickered mischievously as you saw his cheeks flame in a rich blood-orange at the pet name you gave him. How adorable. “To answer your question, I am neither human nor Monster. I am a Fae Folk. I am from the cousin race of your own that consists of faeries. Surely you have heard of us?”

He had, but only in passing. His _cousins_ had mentioned another race of sentient beings hoping to integrate with humanity once more. The new race seemed to be made of sterner stuff than monsters and were a lot less forgiving than them, however they only treated Monster-kind with the utmost respect causing the two races to hit-it off swimmingly. Humans, they seemed to be not fond of yet they were at least cordial in their interactions with them.

At the time, his cousins seemed highly interested in the new race and he remembered his brothers meeting up with his “other brothers” to discuss and do research. That was when they were all still living together. Nowadays, any information about the race was stilted or didn’t carry as much passion as it did almost two years ago.

But to know that his new friend was one of these new individuals, these Fae Folk, brought an impossibly large smile on his face with literal stars sparking out of his sockets. He tried not to grin to wide—he knew that his teeth were off-putting to others—but he couldn’t help himself and let his enthusiasm run free. Fangs that were usually concealed, were now on full display, glinting in the midday sun as they reveled in the exposure.

The female didn’t flinch, gasp, or show any indication of discomfort.

Instead he was taken aback once he saw her skeletal jaw-bone unhinge from her skull, showing off her own menacing rows of fangs, as her own laughter bellowed in the crisp afternoon air.

He watched as she threw her head back and laughed. A dainty hand over her breast, her purple tongue on display as it writhed around from the movement.

_Papyrus was in awe._

“ _By the Queen!_ I haven’t laughed like that in _decades_!” The Fae chuckled while wiping an illusive tear from her eyesockets. “I’ll take that as a yes then?”

“I-I’M SORRY! IT’S! JUST!” The skellie bounced in place like a kid in a candy store with his gloved fists vigorously jumping up and down in the air. “WOWIE! YOU’RE A FAIRY! AN **_ACTUAL FAIRY_ **! DO YOU HAVE WINGS?! CAN YOU GRANT WISHES?! HAVE YOU MET ANY PRINCES OR PRINCESSES?! DO YOU KNOW ANY DRAGONS?! HAVE YOU—!” He instantly quieted once you put a slim finger on his teeth. He tried not to notice how your naked breasts bounced from the motion.

“One at a time Papyrus Darling, I’ll be sure to answer each of your questions to the best of my ability.” The female faerie said with fond mirth. “And it’s _faerie_ , **not** _fairy_ alright?”

And she did.

Yes, she had wings.

No she couldn’t grant wishes, no Fae or faerie could, we could only make deals.

She had, in fact, met human nobility in the past.

Yes, she knew of a few dragons.

Yes, tooth faeries are real, however Tinkerbell was _not_.

No, Peter Pan wasn’t real either.

There isn’t a Neverland, however there is an island with that description that is situated near the Nordic Seas. 

“AND MY LAST QUESTION FOR YOU MADAME!” Papyrus yelled happily. He was extremely pleased with the turnout of the conversation. He had learned so much! And though he was sad that Tinkerbell and Peter Pan didn’t exist, there was a place similar to Neverland out there!

And tooth faeries existed!

And dragons!

Oh, he _couldn’t wait_ to tell Sans!

“Of course, Papyrus. What is it?”

He fiddled with his phalanges, his thumbs twirling around each other as his expression suddenly turned bashful. “ERM, IT HAS OCCURRED TO ME THAT I HAVE NEVER ASKED FOR YOUR NAME. THAT IS EXTREMELY DISTASTEFUL OF ME AND I DO APOLOGIZE. Honestly, That Is Just Bad Manners And I Don’t Want You To Have The Idea That I Am A Rude Monster.”

He didn’t look at her expression, much too afraid to know what she was thinking. Would she get up and leave? Want nothing to do with him? Curse and spit his name?

_Would she…not want to be friends anymore?_

A hand, smaller than his own, gently rested against his radius (basically the forearm). Another then gently caressed under his mandible, nearly causing him to melt in his boots, and guided his skull to face her own.

Papyrus only saw gentleness and an air of warmth that seemed to exude from the Fae’s body. “Papyrus Darling, many things escape the mind almost daily. No matter if you have a steel trap for one, or a fishing net riddled with holes; you are _going_ to forget things that seem almost trivial from time to time. It is just the nature of us sentient beings to do so.” She then affectionately rubbed his cheeks, her clawed thumb running over his dark orange cheek. “It will never make you seem rude for doing so. If anyone says otherwise, well, that just says a lot about them doesn’t it?” You both laughed. You then pulled away from him (much to his disappointment) before placing a hand on your naked chest.

“My Fae name is Thorn, however, I prefer to be called Y/N.” You then gave Papyrus a courteous, seated bow as you greeted him formally. “It is an honor to meet someone as great as you, Papyrus.”

With a puff of his armor chest and the burning of his cheeks, the giant skeleton tenderly took one of your hands and pressed his teeth against it in a skeletal kiss. “AND IT IS AN HONOR TO MEET A BEAUTIFUL LADY SUCH AS YOURSELF, MADAME Y/N! NYEH HEH HEH!”

_Very suave_ , you thought to yourself with a giggle.

…

  
  


A content gust of air exhaled through your nose-hole as you patted yourself down of any remnants of dirt that clung to your clothes. After a few more idle chitchat between the charming skeleton monster and yourself, the two of you realized that time had gotten away from the both of you. Papyrus was visibly and vocally upset once he realized, jumping to his feet with a loud “I FORGOT TO WAKE UP MY BROTHERS FOR THEIR BREAKFAST! I FORGOT TO _COOK_ BREAKFAST!”, and chittering nervously as he paced back and forth to rally his thoughts.

You used that time to put on your clothes (not noticing the somewhat relieved expression on the gentle-monster’s skull) as you yourself thought of what you were going to do next.

_Establishing a base is a must,_ You thought as you looked at your surroundings, contemplating the forestry with hums and clicks of your tongue. You redirected some of your magic to your eyelights to scope out the landscape a few kilometers away. _Hmm, there are some desirable places further eastward and a few north of here… Decisions, decisions…_

“MADAME Y/N?”

You jolted out of your concentration with a flinch of your shoulders before returning your attention back to the individual before you. “Yes, Papyrus Darling?”

You watched as the hulking oaf of a monster hunch into himself, his gloved fingers twisting and kneading themselves and his jaw turtling into his ratty scarf in shyness. By the Queen, he looked like a nervous schoolboy asking out his crush to a long awaited dance.

You honestly couldn’t believe how _utterly endearing_ this terrifying skeleton was.

“W-WELL I WAS WONDERING I-IF...WOULD Y-YOU LIKE TO…?” He suddenly jolted upright from his hunched position, a few vertebrae from his spine screeching out loud cracks from the abrupt action, looking at you with renewed confidence with a touch of uncertainty. “AHEM! MADAME Y/N! I HEREBY FORMALLY INVITE YOU TO A WONDERFUL BRUNCH COOKED BY I, _THE GREAT PAPYRUS_ , IN MY HUMBLE ABODE!” The eccentric way he rolled his r’s at “great” was as humorous as it was lovable. _Stars_ , you really haven’t had such a wonderful time with another in _ages_ . “IT WILL BE NOTHING LIKE YOU HAVE EVER HAD BEFORE! THERE WILL BE PALPABLE PASSION! WONDERFUL WHIMSY! AND DELECTABLE DELICIOUSNESS WITH EVERY BITE! WHY, I WOULD EVEN SAY THAT THIS MEAL WILL _CAPTURE_ YOUR TASTE BUDS IN MOUTHWATERING DELIGHT AND _HOLD IT HOSTAGE_ WITH FLAVORFUL FRENZY!”

There was something supposedly fallacious with that statement as you watched the monster laugh his signature laugh in a titanically boisterous way. From the sharp, somewhat eerie glint in his black sockets, there was something **_sinister_ **that was buried deep beneath those attractively sweet words. Like a rusty trap lying in wait for its next victim to snatch up in a bloody grasp at a moment’s notice.

...You had to say, you found that thought to be rather… _fascinating_.

You chuckled in humorous delight before resting a dainty hand on his radius. “Darling, I would love to join you for breakfast if you’ll have me. It has been a few decades since I’ve last eaten with someone that was not strictly for business.” You gave out an astonished yelp as you were suddenly hoisted up into his arms and carried bridal style. Your widened sockets met his own cheeky ones with his cheeky crooked grin as he huffed out a few victorious “nyehs”.

“WELL THAT WON’T DO AT ALL! FOOD IS BEST ENJOYED WITH GOOD COMPANY!” He then gave a sharp three-point turn before shifting you into the crook of one arm with the other pointed skyward as he took on a heroic stance. You were thunderstruck at how strong he was. “ONWARDS MADAME! THE PROSPECTIVE BRUNCH AWAITS!” With a single bound he was off, leaving behind the confounded gray wolves that watched their new packmate get abducted by a silly skeleton.

The trees and foliage of the forestry zoomed past the both of you as the towering form of the monster zipped by, making clever use of his long gait to get to his destination faster.

You sat there in his arms in silence as you watched him and your surroundings.

It has...Well, you don’t think you’ve **_ever_ **been picked up in such a manner before.

… 

It was a strange feeling.

...Yet, a pleasant one.

You simpered out a quiet, amused titter before relaxing yourself comfortably in this pleasant stranger’s arms.

You had a feeling that your time here was going to be very hectic in the near future.

And you couldn’t wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, can I just fuckin' pop off for a moment?
> 
> Lemme talk to ya'll about that boi Papyrus.
> 
> Ya'll already know that the first one we meet is Horrortale Paps, but I wanna clear the air right quick.
> 
> Papyrus, no matter what universe, is NOT innocent. He's a grown ass adult. I don't know WHY in the Nine Circles of Hell some of ya'll are like "OMG Paps is so adorable!" or "He can do no wrong!" or "He's so innocent, we must protect him from all evil" or some shit like that.
> 
> If he ain't wearin' stripes, then he ain't a damn kid. I'm pretty sure that he even pays taxes.
> 
> I don't know if you guys are aware but, Papyrus is THE MOST PASSIVE-AGGRESSIVE character in all of Undertale. Don't believe me? Lemme give ya'll an example then.
> 
> Remember the "Changing Tile Puzzle" bit where we had to (supposedly) cross that impossible puzzle with random tiles changing every 5 secs. Anyone with half a brain knows that NO ONE could've been able to complete such a hardass puzzle. Much less a child.
> 
> Let me repeat that, "MUCH. LESS. A. CHILD."
> 
> Now you harlequin babies should've been on the uptake with the lore of the Game that everyone and their Mama knows that in Undertale, children (Human or Monster) wears stripes.
> 
> So wouldn't it make sense that Papyrus knows that Frisk is a CHILD as well?
> 
> So your "precious and holier-than-thou" misconception of Papyrus, WILLINGLY put a CHILD in danger--doesn't matter if it was a Human--because he was so focused and driven to deliver a human soul to become a part of the Royal Guard.
> 
> The definition of "Selfish" is this: "(of a person, action, or motive) LACKING CONSIDERATION for others; concerned chiefly with ONE'S OWN personal profit or pleasure."
> 
> Papyrus is a selfish motherfucker.
> 
> Still don't believe me, then how about this:
> 
> "I CAN'T EVEN STOP SOMEONE AS "WEAK" AS YOU..."
> 
> "WHO KNEW THAT ALL I NEEDED TO MAKE PALS...WAS TO GIVE PEOPLE "AWFUL PUZZLES" AND THEN FIGHT THEM???"
> 
> "BUT MOSTLY, I'M GETTING "REALLY TIRED" OF CAPTURING YOU!"
> 
> "I GUESS I'LL ACCEPT MY FAILURE..."
> 
> "EVERYONE!!! A CELEBRATION TO "BEING LOSERS"!!!"
> 
> "YOU'RE COMPLETELY OBSESSED WITH ME."
> 
> "BOY IS IT HOT IN HERE, OR IS IT JUST ME???"
> 
> "AND HEY, SOMEDAY, YOU'LL FIND SOMEONE AS GREAT AS ME... WELL, NO THAT'S NOT TRUE."
> 
> "MY BROTHER WILL... WELL, HE WON'T CHANGE VERY MUCH."
> 
> "YOUR BARBS HIDE A HIDDEN AFFECTION! YOU EMOTIONAL CACTUS!!!" 
> 
> As you can probably tell, these are various instances of Papyrus' dialogue in the game. Just these few sentences show that Papyrus is and can be very narcissistic, self-depreciating, vulgar (in some cases), and bigoted. Hell, he even snarks out subtle off-handed slights against himself, Frisk, and other Monsters (even Sans).
> 
> All, with a goddamn cheery smile.
> 
> It's funny but, I think that Papyrus is a lot like Sans. No wonder they're brothers.
> 
> Thanks for listening to my TED Talk and Peace out! Next chapter will be out on the 29th!


	5. Brothers In Arms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm late, shut your pee-pee holes! College obligations and all that!
> 
> Anyway, we meet le bois~
> 
> Support me on [Ko-Fi](https://ko-fi.com/saucyawkwardness)!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by: [Skeleon x Skeleton](https://www.archiveofourown.org/works/15966272/chapters/37239746) by Tea_Cup (PumpkinFlash)

…

_Chapter Four:_ _Brothers In Arms_

…

  
  


The rhythmic clacking of claws against sturdy wood rang throughout the quiet kitchen. Bone-white phalanges tapped and scritched against the oak as they danced their haunting jig to a tune that wasn’t there. Another set of sharp, lethal skeletal-fingers led to a strange skull—akin to a human, yet _not_ akin to a human—whose maw was forever set in a terrifying rictus grin. Their teeth were sharp and many, as if thousands sat in a permanent line that made up a deranged grin, and their eyesockets empty and black as the darkest of trenches.

However, only one socket held light but it was a sinister blood red that provided the only light in the dark kitchen. With the blinds and curtains closed and the lights off, the crimson light bathed the dinner-table like that of a Blood Moon looking over an abandoned battlefield bathed in the viscous ichor of the fallen.

The individual, a _skeleton_ , wore an unzipped blue hoodie with dirty, white-furred fluff aligning the hood; a white t-shirt that was stained in various places, and black shorts that had a single white stripe down its sides and reached their patellas. Stained pairs of white socks that were fitted on their feet were comfortably enclosed by fuzzy, pale-pink slippers that were frayed in numerous places.

The monster’s strangely rotund skull had a harrowing, large, and jagged cracked hole that led into the uncomfortable insides of their head. Their frame was large and bulky, bones thicker than the average human skeleton—their radius and ulna were as thick as a human’s forearm—and their height was an astounding 6’9”. Their large height and even larger mass made for a petrifying image as the monster sat on a homely chair, by a long dinner-table, in a dark, _dark_ room.

The skeleton’s bloated, red eyelight rolled in their socket at an agonizingly slow rate before deciding to focus on the metacarpals that was tapping away against the table. A few more successive taps played out before immediately stopping on a dime. The brutish monster dragged their skeletal claws against the furniture—making a jarring screeching sound that would damage the eardrums of any being—as their eyelight dilated with barely contained intensity, their twisted wayward grin curling up even farther along their skull.

“he’s... **_late_ **.” A harsh-sounding tenor of a voice slammed into the quiet of the gloomy cookery; his baritone masculinity as imposing as a dark figure on a rainy summer’s night.

“he’s **_never_ **late…” The phalanges that were resting idly against his skull began to creepily skitter like invasive centipedes towards his dead socket. They then began to dip inside before harshly pulling against the rim of the orbit.

All whom know him knew that he did this habit almost constantly. He would say that it's a coping mechanism, something to help ground his thoughts.

But all would agree that it made him look sickening, dreadful, or nightmarish.

Why? Well…

_Crack!_

...No monster, sane or otherwise, likes to see another purposefully dusting themselves.

The massive skeleton let out a nonchalant hum as his phalanges uncurled from their previous position to gently caress along the new scar that hairlined on the underside of his socket, before stopping in the center of his cheekbone. He huffed out an unstable chuckle before his other metacarpals resuming their methodical tapping once more against the damaged furnishings.

_he’s not here...where is he?_

**_dangerdangerdangerdanger_ **

_human? was it a human? are there humans in the forest?_

**_latelatelatelate!_ ** _he’s never late!_

_not safe! not safe! not home, not safe! can’t protect!_ **_c a n ‘ t p r o t e c t!_ **

_the others...do the others have him?_

**_killkillkillkillkillkillkillkill!_ **

_fuckin’ vanilla! if that paranoid lil’ shit-stain does anything to paps…well… we’re gonna have a_ **m u r d e r** _of a time!_

_alonealonealonecan’tbealonenotagainnotagai—!_

“who pissed in your cereal, butcher?”

The skeleton snapped out of his ravine of buzzing thoughts to regard the individual before him. It was another skeleton who was regarding him with condescending amusement as they leaned against the doorway in a nonchalant manner. They wore a blue hoodie with a white hood, a light-grey turtle-neck sweater, black shorts with a single stripe down each leg, and white socks that reached their tarsals which were covered by salmon pink slippers.

The skeleton shared a lot in common with the newcomer. From their shared fashion sense to their shared impressive height. The only differences between them being that the newcomer’s skull was intact, and his eyelights were a smaller and softer red with his left pupil being bathed in a blue color.

Also the newcomers’ clothes were covered in _dust_.

...The kitchen was spotless. Papyrus would never let any inch of this house be riddled in filth, despite its dilapidated state.

“dust…” The impaired monster grunted in a lackluster greeting. The voices in his skull that were once impossible to ignore immediately went silent as if they were marionettes with their strings cut. “paps is late.”

The newcomer, Dust, raised a non-existent brow as he looked around the kitchen. The expected clanging of pots and pans, the insufferable screeching to cease the wonderful art of puns, and the distinct lack of a uniquely boisterous laugh made the kitchen seem lifeless and grey. He didn’t notice it at first, more entertained by his counterpart **_losing his head_ ** (heh), but now that he did, his amusement slowly washed away.

“think those pansies got ‘im?” Dust said, pushing himself off of the doorway with a grunt before deciding to sit across from his roommate. The groaning of the chairs legs being grinded against the hardwood floors filled the room for a moment, before the monster flopped on the seat with an unceremonious _whump_ —his hands stuffed into his pockets. “surprised ya haven’t already left, axe.”

"dunno." And he left it at that. Axe had barely listened to the second part of what Dust said, his mind already chugging back into overdrive with nihilistic thoughts.

Dust regarded his somewhat tolerable counterpart before shrugging in apathy. He tried to extend the olive branch and his “good buddy” somewhat accepted it, even if it was tentatively. He knew those _“goody-goody”_ motherfuckers wouldn’t do anything to Paps—they could barely stand to look at him after all. And Dust sure as hell knew that the crooked skeleton could take care of himself.

Regardless, all Sanses—no matter what timeline—would **_always_ **care for a Papyrus.

The dust-covered skeleton felt his grin momentarily tighten as he saw a flicker of pale red drift behind Axe’s head.

He grumbled before lifting a **_bony-hand_ ** (heh) towards the fridge. The metacarpal was awashed in a purple haze of viscous magic. Not even a second later, the refrigerator's handle was also enveloped in purple before the unit’s door opened with a strong swing. Two bottles of ketchup floated out of the ice-box; one sailing towards Axe who caught it without needing to turn his skull, and the other settling gently in his hand.

“don’t worry too much about it. paps is too cool to get in trouble.” Dust said, taking a swig of his condiment before continuing. “prolly’ just got caught up talkin’ about traps with the edgelords again. ya know they always **_capture_ ** his attention with their convos’. really **_snaring_ **him in with their words, eh butch?”

Both Sanses chuckled at the terrible wordplay, thoroughly distracting themselves with their guilty pastime pleasure.

Shitty puns.

“heh.” Axe’s grin finally relaxing enough to a less disturbing degree. He tipped his head back before cracking open his maw apart. The difference in Monster and Human skeletons was that with humans, their mandibles were always physically separate from their skull. Without tendons, ligaments, and muscles their jaws wouldn’t be able to stay on their bodies much less function. 

A Monster skeleton, however, operated much differently.

Monster skeletons’ mandibles are fused with their skulls to make for one, giant, skeletal unit. The jaw-bone is fused with the maxilla via magic, eliminating the use of muscle. Since Axe’s and Dust’s teeth are fused together (also by magic), whenever they wish to open their mouth they simply inject a miniscule amount of (concentrated) magic into their teeth to unfuse the bones, resulting in an operative movement similar to that of a human skeleton’s mouth opening and closing.

Rows of sharp daggers greeted whomever was unfortunate enough to stare into the butcher's jaws. Canine fangs as long and as sharp as knives peeking in the dim light that Axe’s ruby-red eyelight provided. As he squirted a river of tomato-paste down his fictional gullet, the shining of a navy-blue appendage briefly peeked from the recesses of the dark cavity that was his mouth.

Once he felt like he had enough, the monster snapped his jaws like a hungry piranha and brought his head back down to contemplate his “pal” whom just watched with detached enjoyment.

“really **_slashin’_ ** away at his time, those selfish bastards. makin’ my skull **_split in two_ ** with worry, like i **_ain’t got enough on my plate_ **.” The Underground’s Butcher was rewarded with a good-natured snigger and grinned after hearing a “good one!” from his roommate.

The two Sanses perked up once they heard loud tromping coming this way from outside. They relaxed once they heard the familiar screeches, loud yammering, and wispy lisp from Papyrus.

Dust gave a cheeky smile at his counterpart, said grin widening once he saw Axe’s shoulders deflate a little in apparent relief. “what i tell ya, ya bush-baby? just fine. now ya can go take a nap from that _cwanky wittle episode_ o’ yours.” He laughed as he effortlessly dodged the hatchet that was thrown at his face, the weapon sinking into the wall behind him with a loud and heavy _thump_.

Before either could possibly retaliate, a tremendous yell and a deafening boom of the front door rocked the house in an animated greeting.

“ _AXE! DUST!_ THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAS RETURNED HOME! AND WITH COMPANY!” Company? Well, that couldn’t bode well.

The Dark Sanses looked at each other with knowing glances before their unsettling grins settled into twin expressions of cool indifference. Axe saw Dust teleport first, giving him a cheeky two-fingered salute, and heard the telltale sound of the old living room couch creak under extra weight. The human hunter groaned as he forced his old bones to stand up—rising up slowly like the dead from a coffin—before walking towards his spindly younger brother and his excited yammerings that echoed from the decaying expanse that was their living room.

“papyrus,” Axe groused, ducking down under the headway that connected the living room to the kitchen. The run-down shack that they all lived in was fitted for humans, not hulking and bulky monsters like him. A ripple of reassurance zipped through his scarred bones at seeing his brother safe and relatively unharmed before being deftly suppressed as rising frustration took hold; painting his skull in an expression of annoyance—his twisted grin faltering into a soft snarl. “ _where were you?_ i called yer phone a dozen times and you didn’t pick up. **you’re late.** ”

“SANS!” The exuberant skeleton-in-question brightened upon seeing his brother before faltering in chastised guilt once he beheld the quiet irritation that his elder sibling exuded. “I-I...I’m Very Sorry Brother! I Was Held Up In Conversation By Good—Nay, _Wonderful_ Company And I Lost Track Of Time!” Axe eased up on his stern glare once he saw his baby bro timidly shuffle his feet and wring his hands together in that nervous tick he always does. His sunken eyes seemed to slightly expand in fright as they looked anywhere but his own sockets, his gnarled teeth minutely grinding against each other in soft shrieks.

The slasher blew out a long stream of hot air from his nose-hole before thrusting his gangly metacarpals in his jacket’s pockets. “...s’fine. just... _don’t do it again._ or at least remember to call me.” He then gave his hyperactive brother a mischievous slow wink as he shrugged. “wouldn't want me to **_lose my head_ ** over here eh? after all, my memory’s **_full of holes_ **.” With a definitive knock against the good side of his cranium, the punny skeleton laughed at the absolutely done expression that was slapped across his brother’s skull—Dust’s wheezing heard in the background.

_“SANS!”_ Papyrus’s unholy screech boomed throughout the house. Some of the walls even shaking from the sheer frequency of his voice. “JUST WHEN I WAS FEELING CONTRITE ABOUT MY LESS-THAN-STELLAR ACTIONS, YOU GO AND GIVE ME A REASON TO STAY OUT LONGER!” The ex-guardsman puts his gloved hands on his narrow hips as he glared at his older brother slink over to the recliner that sat across from a grinning Dust.

Axe plopped onto the chair with a heavy _whump_ before responding with an uncaring shrug and a cheeky grin. “eh, can’t blame a guy for tryin’ to be a cool bro. i’ll leave that shtick to you paps.” He then propped up his elbow on the arm of the recliner and rested his head in his hand as he regarded his single, bloated red eye at the figure that stood behind his brother. “so, who’s this _wonderful company_ that made ya miss cookin’ breakfast bro? i’m **_dyin’_ ** to meet ‘em.”

Papyrus gave Axe his own irritated look before whirling around to regard the figure behind him. “I AM TERRIBLY SORRY THAT YOU HAD TO HEAR SUCH _TERRIBLE AND FRANKLY_ **DISGUSTING** _PUNNERY_ , MADAME Y/N. MY BROTHERS, UNFORTUNATELY, DO NOT KNOW OF HIGH CLASS HUMOR UNLIKE THE GREAT PAPYRUS.” The scarfed skeleton glared balefully at the guilty parties in question—both merely snickering unabashedly—before gently escorting a woman inside the house with the manners of a gentleman.

“It is quite alright, Papyrus Darling,” A honeyed and dulcet timber of a voice giggled in feminine whimsy. That saccharine sound was enough to jolt Axe upright in shock with his huge eyelight constricting to the size of a quarter. The woman was _tall_ , only two inches shorter than himself, and had an air of what could only be described as polite authority. She wore a silky, sleeveless, ankle-length black dress that hugged her curves snugly and had a thigh-slit that showed off her salacious legs. The dress was most likely backless as Axe could see the skin of her back peek through as Papyrus helped her out of her leather trench jacket.

She also wore a thick lacy-white, bolo-necktie that had a strange glowing blue stone in its center that was sewn with gold undertones.

_And the woman wasn’t even human!_

And she damn well didn’t look like any monster he had met before.

She had the stripped skull of a wolf—fangs, canines, and molars sharper and longer than the animal’s themselves—and heavy looking, twisted goat horns that sprouted proudly from her cranium. The horns had strings of gold wrapped around them and hung to her slender neck, the fabric connecting to a silky, soft looking veil the color of vermilion also with gold-trimmings.

The wolf-goat woman met his eyelights with her own—hers strongly burning a rich violet that he only saw in the skies at dusk. Her dark grey skin shifted and moved in unison as one arm held the under, the hand of one (he noted that her fingers were tipped in black claws) slightly covering the front of her muzzle as her shoulders shook in amusement.

“My, my,” she crooned with mirth. “Am I really so interesting, Mr. Sans? You look as if **_you want to eat me right up_ **.”

Fuck.

She was hot.

Axe felt his slowly cheeks burn with his magic, a plentiful navy-blue, as he fought to bring back his composure. He hasn’t blushed in _however-the-fuck-long_ and hadn’t been flustered _in even less_. He felt his magic go haywire and his eyelight dilate, almost encompassing his whole socket, as he watched his brother lead the woman to the couch to sit talking about “GETTING STARTED ON BRUNCH” or something.

Once he left, his iconic “nyeh heh heh’s” following behind him like a scorned lover, did Axe finally remember what she said to him.

It seemed as if she was either extremely observant or had a keen sense of smell to realize that the dark stains on his t-shirt and jacket weren’t _just_ of ketchup.

And it seemed as if he was so damn distracted that he missed her making a clever, **dark** pun that not even _his brother_ picked up on.

_“fuck me.”_ He breathed as he slumped back in the recliner in a comatose stupor. Not even fighting the burning of his blush from creeping further up his skull.

* * *

_“fuck me.”_ Dust snickered at his impaired doppelganger fucking flounder at the sight of the new arrival. Though he had to admit, she was a sight for sore eyes as there was something about her that just pulled one in—and not just in a physical sense.

_“Goodness gracious!”_ Her eyelights seemed to bounce in glee as she took in Axe’s slumped form. “We have not even had _our first date_ yet for you to be making such declarations, Mr. Sans! You are a rather _brave_ SOUL indeed.”

Dust’s jaw unhinged with an audible _click_ as he threw his head back and laughed. His metacarpal was thrown over his sockets so he couldn’t see Axe flounder even further as he bolted upright with a completely navy-blue skull and a deep, burrowing frown.

“ _sh-shit!_ that’s not what i—! i wasn’t tryin’ ta—!” The Butcher growled irately at his howling double who had folded into himself in helpless delight. **_“shut the fuck up dust!”_ **

Dust managed to calm himself down—if only for a moment—to take in his embarrassed doppelganger. He was slightly upset that Axe was regaining back his composure if that familiar look of anger and annoyance on his ugly mug was anything to go by. Boo, he wanted to see what the mysterious stranger would do next.

“heh. she’s okay in my book. anybody that can mess ya up is alright with me.” The dust-covered murderer ignored his counterpart—who looked like he wanted to take his favorite axe to his skull—before sizing the woman up as she sat at the end of the couch he sat on. He watched her take interest in the joke and science books that rested on the scratched up coffee table that stood in front of the couch.

“so, what’cha doin’ all the way out here, wolfie?” Dust asked bluntly and without a lick of tact. He didn’t much care for formalities, and he sure as shit knew that Axe didn’t give a damn either.

The woman just gave a light-hearted chuckle at Dust’s indirect slight while examining the contents of the joke book. Apparently, the joke book wasn’t even a joke book. It was a book about Quantum Mechanics with the cover of a joke book on its front. How interesting.

“I have arrived to Ebott for business ventures, however I was delightfully sidetracked by Papy Dear with his charming company.” Papyrus’s “nyeh” of approval was heard from deep within the kitchen. “He convinced me to stay for brunch and to meet the both of you and, well, I just could not say no.”

Axe hummed, already cozying back into his rightful place in the recliner, and gave the woman another once over. “what sorta business?”

She closed the book with a gentle snap before lifting a slim, clawed finger to the front of her muzzle in a shushing motion. “I believe that is for me to know, and for you find out, dear. While I have high opinions of Papyrus, I don’t quite know you all well enough to delve into my personal life.” She then placed the book on her lap before linking her fingers together on it as she straightened up in a regal fashion. “After all, you wouldn’t just hand away your secrets to a complete stranger, _would you?_ ”

_fuckin’ smartass._ That’s what went through both of the Sanses’ (metaphorical) minds as their eyesockets narrowed with heightened suspicion at the strange newcomer. While the woman seemed harmless enough what with her poised stature, polite disposition, and approachable aura—they both knew from what they could feel from her latent magical power was that she wasn’t to be taken lightly. She would most likely make those fucking _holier-than-thou_ copies of them sweat; however with them, they weren’t so easily swayed. They were more battle-hardened (which was saying something when you took into account the Fell lines) and generally more aware of things that the others would’ve most definitely have missed.

In other words, this woman was dangerous.

Dust was surprised, and nothing really surprised him nowadays, and he had to admit that he somewhat respected the prowess of the feminine stranger. He hasn’t even _*checked*_ her stats yet but already he could tell that she would be a handful.

Him? Respecting others?

_Ha!_

He must be going soft.

Before he could interrogate further, he was interrupted by Papyrus stampeding into the living room with unrestrained glee in his sockets. “BROTHERS! MADAME Y/N! BRUNCH IS READY AND WAITING! PREPARE TO BE THOROUGHLY BESTED BY THE GREAT PAPYRUS’ MAGNIFICENT COOKING!”

“How wonderful!” The woman, Y/N, stated happily as she stood up from her place on the couch. She began to make her way over to the tallest skeleton with graceful strides of her long legs. “I am simply famished Darling, and I’m sure your cooking will be divine.”

Dust and Axe shared a meaningful look.

Well, they’d get what they wanted out of you sooner or later.

He was a PATIENT SOUL after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I do Paps justice? Or how about Axe and Dust? It's my first time writing these guys and I hope that I'm doing them justice. If anyone has an advice on their characters then please comment down below! I'd love to hear it!
> 
> Next chappie's out on the 5th-6th!


	6. Food Is Nothing Without Good Company

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah, I'm 2 days late! STFU!
> 
> But seriously, I got like 3 exams next week and I have been studying for those like crazy, so that's why I was late.
> 
> So, I thought it would be better if I updated every weekend instead of every Wednesday or Thursday. 
> 
> For my apology to you heathens, I present to you a longer chapter.
> 
> Enjoy~!
> 
> Support me on [Ko-Fi](https://ko-fi.com/saucyawkwardness)!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by: [Skeleon x Skeleton](https://www.archiveofourown.org/works/15966272/chapters/37239746) by Tea_Cup (PumpkinFlash)

… 

_Chapter Five:_ _Food Is Nothing Without Good Company_

… 

  
  
  


You gave a discerning hum once you entered the kitchen. While you thought that Papyrus was utterly handsome working upon the stove with a frilly white apron on, humming an unknown tune as he piled food onto the plates; you couldn’t help your mood momentarily dropping at the site of the kitchen.

_It was rotting at the seams._

What was once thought to be a charming marble kitchen set: with stainless, white counters, rustic brown-oak cabinets and shelves, a birch dining table with tastefully protruding designs, and cozy little chairs—was now a rotting, dilapidated, and ramshackle of a room that was in no-way fit to be used.

You could see mold conquering corners of the ceiling and the floors, uprooted tiling that could easily trip someone and hurt them due to their sharp edges; the electric appliances were in serious need of an update as you were sure that you haven’t seen kitchenware like this in _decades_. And electrical wiring that were in concerningly visible places and even their electrical outputs were exposed to the stale air.

If you could, you would’ve had a deep frown on your muzzle.

“MADAME Y/N!” Papyrus called cheerily, effectively snapping out of your justified belligerent funk. You focused your eyelights on the hyperactive skeleton’s form and immediately cooed once you saw that the apron said “Kiss The Cook” but with the word “cook” scratched out and replaced with “The Great Papyrus”.

You really couldn’t express just how adorable Papyrus was.

“PLEASE, I ASK THAT YOU SIT DOWN AT THE TABLE!” He insisted, dropping everything that he was doing to walk over to you and herd you into a rickety chair. “WHILE THE FOOD IS READY, THE PRESENTATION IS NOT! AND I WOULD PREFER IT IF _EVERYONE_ SAT TOGETHER BEFORE DINING!” You giggled as Papyrus directed his stern glare at his brothers who were still in the living room, lounging amongst themselves.

The one called “Dust” whined out a complainant groan and you could see him further becoming one with the worn, green couch as he slumped against it. “do i have ta?” he grumbled.

“ _YES_ , YOU DO DUST!” The tall chef screeched and stamped his foot in annoyance. You were surprised that you could feel yourself shake, your chair thumping in time with Papyrus' stomps. The cutlery and silverware rattled and shook in various places in the kitchen, whether it be that they were on the counter or in the cabinets themselves.

_Papyrus was rather strong_ , you thought to yourself.

“YOU BOTH ARE ACTING RATHER _RUDE_ IN FRONT OF OUR **_GUEST_ ** !” He emphasized loudly as he gestured rather exuberantly to your person. “IF YOU CONTINUE TO DO SO, THEN I WILL TAKE AWAY BOTH OF YOUR KETCHUP PRIVILEGES FOR _A FULL WEEK_! I DON’T KNOW WHY I HAVEN’T DONE THAT ALREADY, TO BE PERFECTLY HONEST.”

You watched with amused eyes as both elder skeletons sat up and apparition-ed in their respective seats at the dining table. Dust sat at one end of the table, his hooded head in his arms as he belted out an angsty sigh—as if the notion of being here was like pulling teeth. However, you knew that he was acting in good fun, what with the mischievous smile on his face and the telltale dancing of amusement displayed in his heterochroma eyelights.

You raised a bemused, non-existent eyebrow once he caught your staring before giving you a wink in response. His forever grin hiking up minutely.

The one who was called “Axe” sat directly across from you, his damaged skull resting in his hand—long spindly phalanges scraping against his cheekbone while the other set tapped rhythmically on the desecrated piece of furniture below. You watched in fascination as his, seemingly, fused teeth crack open in a yawn and displayed rows upon rows of sharp fangs that glittered threateningly in the dim overhead light of the kitchen.

It was just emptiness in there. Light, in all its immeasurable reach on earth and in the cosmos, seemed to be unable to bloom in the abyssal orifice that was Axe’s throat. While it would make some amount of sense—being that he was a skeleton after all—however, it didn’t explain why you couldn’t be able to see the back of his skull.

A person could even see the back of your skull, once you turned your vision off, so what was it that exempted these strange monster skeletons from this morphological rule?

You huffed a slew of air out through your nose-hole in contemplation, rubbing the underside of your jawbone in thought. Axe had already closed his mouth by this point, his teeth fusing back together in needle-like rows of straight lines; but that still didn’t bar you from thinking yourself in circles on this peculiar aspect. It was as if these skeleton-type monsters _broke the very laws of Mother Gaia itself_ ! Was it only their lineage of monsters that were able to do this or could all monsters do it? Was it possible for _fae-skeletons_ to be able to do this?

So many interesting questions and so little answers!

You would have to bring this up with Lord Ains at your scheduled meeting that would be arranged sometime next month.

If he knew something about this phenomena then you were going to give him such a stern talking to! You might even raise hell in his domain just to spite him!

“seem to be lookin’ really hard there, stranger.” A deep baritone voice shook you out of your intense thoughts. “welp, ya ain’t got much to worry about. folks can typically **_see right through me_** , heheheh.” 

You muffled your snort of laughter at the horrible pun, amusement broadening from the hilarious screech of disapproval by the resident chef, before returning your attention to the individual across from you. Axe’s mangled grin stretched wider with accomplished amusement that he managed to wrangle an unladylike bout of laughter from your person. His portrayal of a ruthless killer somewhat softening as he took notice of your (unfortunate) like of puns.

“Forgive me, Axe Dear,” your eyelights bounced in glee as you took in his own bloated one shrinking down to a dot at the sweet pet name, “I am just utterly fascinated by you monster skeletons. You seem to break the very laws that the All-Mother Gaia has intended for us in no effort at all! You must understand my surprise at the revelation.”

“yeah?” Dust chuckled at your child-like exuberance despite your proper wording. “i don’t see a problem. i’m just **_lawyer-ing_** around. sometimes i like to **_landscape_** into my mind when i’m bored.”

“you’re an **_au naturel_ ** at **_monkeying around_ ** dust.” Axe grinned, jumping on the punning bandwagon with demented glee.

Dust winked at his counterpart. “thanks **_flower-bud_ ** . just **_earthin’_ ** up some **_in-gneiss_ ** puns that i got **_in-compost_ ** . glad to know that i ain’t **_raining_ ** on anyone’s parade.”

_“ENOUGH!”_ Papyrus roared with an exasperated scowl on his face. Slamming down the plates of food with enough force to rock the table and the ground-floor alike. Just when it looked as if he was about to scold his brothers once more with their degenerate punnery, he suddenly paused for a moment before gaining such a devilish expression on his bony-face that it surprised both you and his brothers.

“FRANKLY,” He began, as cool as a cucumber. “I’M NOT **_FAUNA_ **THESE JOKES!”

The silence that permeated the air was thick enough to cut through with a knife.

Suddenly, an explosion of laughter that was as loud as a thundering herd of elephants rumbled through the house in unapologetic abandonment.

Your pig-like snorts of laughter was deftly drowned out by the booming raspy cackles of Axe, and the echoing howls of Dust as he thumped the abused table in unrestrained elation.

Papyrus’ iconic “nyeh heh heh’s” of laughter softly petered out once he rubbed away his tears of happiness and began to dutifully place the plates of food in front of everyone. “ON A NOT-SO-TERRIBLY-INDULGENT NOTE, ARE WE REALLY SO INTERESTING A SPECIES MADAME Y/N?” The oafish skeleton then straightened up to his full height, placed a covered hand on his armored chest before adopting a regal pose as his tattered scarf fluttered in the non-existent wind. “WHILE THE _GREAT PAPYRUS_ KNOWS NO FLAW AND IS _PERFECT_ IN EVERY FASHION—I DO NOT KNOW SO MUCH ABOUT THESE LAZYBONE BROTHERS OF MINE.”

_“ouch.”_ Dust snickered with his eyesockets widening in mute astonishment. “what the actual _fuck_ , paps?”

Papyrus gently placed Dust’s plentiful plate in front of him before harshly smacking the back of his skull. The force was great enough to tip the hoodie-d skeleton into almost face-planting into his freshly arrived plate.

_“LANGUAGE.”_ The ex-guardsmen smirked at Dust’s irate grumbling and seemed to ignore his brother’s deafening guffaws at the display. “THERE IS A LADY PRESENT.”

“I take no offense, dearest one.” You tittered in glee, thanking the cook for placing a plate of food in front of you with a cool drink of water on the side. “To answer your question, the nightwalkers—pardon, _skeletons_ that I am used to are not able to emote or exaggerate in such a fashion that you are all able to. I suppose that they are…less flexible? Rigid. They are more rigid in their expressions.”

Your claws gently scraped against the glass of the porcelain cup as you wrapped your hand around it. You raised a non-existent brow at the sound of glass breaking, and took a dainty sip of water before regarding your attention towards the direction of the noise.

Papyrus seemed to have dropped an empty plate in his shock at your statement, sunken eyes widening to such an insane degree that it seemed as if they would encompass the entirety of his face. Mandible agape with awe before slowly upturning into an expression of **_extreme_ **excitement, his gloved hands slowly rising to cover his capacious crooked grin from your view.

Your attention was then swayed by the skeletons who shared the table with you. Axe’s bloated eyelight, whose vastness could’ve put humid deserts to shame, flickered before fizzling out—leaving just empty, dead sockets in its wake. If anyone beheld his appearance previously and thought that he was eerie then; well, he looked positively _menacing_ now. What was once somewhat covered by the bright light of the maroon orb, was now seen with stark clarity in the overhead light of the kitchen.

Deep gouges, healing scars, and minute nicks and scrapes covered his skull—telling a tale of what he must have had to face for a **_very_ ** _long time_.

Dust on the other hand, while not as intense as Axe’s, still displayed an expression that you couldn’t identify. His right eyelight was completely gone, leaving his left to expand and loom brighter in the dark cavity that was skull. It was completely bathed in a purple, fiery, haze that licked lovingly against the rims of his sockets and the side of his skull.

His smile was something that could only be described as… _stuck_.

The rictus grin that appeared to be forever etched onto his cranium, seemed as if it wanted to frown yet continued to stretch and widen into a manic grin. You would see the corners of his mouth deeply crease in the telltale action of smiling, before stopping to falter slightly, only to crease once again in a grin.

It was rather strange.

**“w h a t .”** Axe growled ferociously, his thundering voice dropping to such a deep timber that it would’ve sent lions running for the hills.

“Whatever do you mean, Axe Dear?” You were truly confused. Did you happen to say anything that upset them in anyway? Well, you don’t think you offended Papyrus. By the hyperactive hops that he was doing near the stove, he seemed to be enthusiastic about something. But really, when _isn’t_ he ever?

However, Axe and Dust seemed to react in a hostile manner at your delving of information.

“he _means_ what’cha said about—!”

_“SKELETONS!”_ Papyrus screamed as he slammed the final plate on the table, causing the mishandled piece of furniture to audibly groan a worrying tune from the amount of stress that it was being subjugated to. Poor thing. “ _OH. MY._ ** _STARS!_ ** MADAME Y/N! YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT THERE ARE _SKELETONS_ IN THE _FAE FOLK REALM?!_ ”

You nodded. “Indeed.” You saw the two elder monsters immediately freeze before calming down at Papyrus’ happy outburst. They seemed to momentarily relax before adopting expressions of confusion. Interesting. “They are fae but their sub-genus is called _“*mystic skeletons”_. Their morphological compositions greatly resemble that of human corpses, however their magical vestiges seem to resemble your lineage of monster skeletons. With varying changes.”

You took a sip of water before lazily gesturing to the lot of them. “Many of those differences that I am noting are for one, the ability to emote. Mystic skeletons, no matter how hard they try, _cannot_ be able to physically extort their skulls to produce facial expressions. To make up for this lack of gesture, they produce an “aura” that can be able to clue in non-mystical skeletons on what they are feeling at that moment.” 

You then pointed to their ivory bones. “Another difference is the bone structure. Mystic skeletons seem to have thinner and more slender bone structures than your own. It is an evolutionary adaptation as it allows for them to have less surface area, resulting in their magical output to increase and to be more efficient in conducting said output. That is precisely the reason why they are one of the _most_ magically-inclined species in the Fae Realm.”

Your eyelights brightened for a few seconds. You didn’t mean to delve so much information about mystic skeletons, or about any sort of fae in general. It just sort of...slipped out.

_I hope Lord Ains won’t scold me for this,_ you thought with an uneasy huff. _He’s so taciturn and tight-lipped about these sorts of things._

Your jaws gave a soft click, snapping you out of your worry, once you felt the table vibrating again. Papyrus had finally sat down at his seat on the other end of the table, with his hands tightly gripping the edges as he physically vibrated in excitement. Orange-colored stars seemed to spark and ignite in his enlarged sockets, his damaged grin stretched so high they looked as if they could reach the heavens.

You giggled fondly at the display before calmly picking up your full-plate of food and setting it securely on your lap. You hadn’t even tasted the dish yet and already it was threatened to be ruined!

You then turned your amused attention to Axe and Dust. Both were severely less passionate than the scarfed skeleton, but they both still had stupefied expressions on their faces.

Axe had completely sat up in his seat with a single curled fist on the rocking table, his other skittering along near his dead socket in phantom touches. His eyelight was completely focused on you and his grin faltered into a frown of contemplation upon your revelation.

Dust on the other hand, seemed like a fellow who was much more controlled with his emotions. He completely leaned back in his chair, metacarpals in his pockets, and appraised you with intrigued eyes and a mellow smile.

You chuckled.

It seems as if you had stumbled upon something very, _very_ interesting.

* * *

You had learned many things in those few hours around the dinner table.

_First and foremost, Papyrus was a_ **phenomenal** _chef._

While you’ve had your fair share of human, monster, and fae foods, none were so _indescribably wonderful_ as the giant of a cinnamon roll's. You likened yourself to a stern and rather blunt critic; sparing no falsity or feelings to those who valued your opinion. Your palette was the best of the best, an exceptional instrument of prowess whose tunes outshine even the greatest of masses. If one wanted your thoughts on their dish, then they had better be prepared for some heartbreak.

Be that is it may, in all of your six-hundred and eighty-three years of existence—you have never, **ever** , had such a dish as prominent, as-as _mind-tormentingly_ ** _delicious_** as the food you were ingesting right now.

Papyrus had made a simple coronation of dishes: spaghetti with Parmesan meatballs, large cocktail glasses full with assorted fruits, and sweet-butter rolls drizzled in warm honeyed pasting.

You could taste his passion and vigor in the meatballs—their fatty juicy dribbling with unyielding fever as the flavors clashed and conquered against your unsuspecting taste buds. The spaghetti noodles— **no**. The _ribbons of fluffed flour_ danced in graceful waltzes as they twined and crooned with the pikes of your fork, their light creamy color a healthy shade of pasta perfection. The sweetheart of a chef had informed you that he had aged then in an oaken caste to better bring out their flavor. You appreciated it all the more.

You lifted up the cocktail glass of fruit and belted out a delighted growl as you noticed that the fruits were arranged in the shape of a daffodil. A _daffodil_ of all things! Any chef, heck apprentice chefs, could arrange orientations of foods into _roses_. You’ve seen that shtick too many times to count. But a daffodil-pattern was one of the hardest pieces of orientations to master simply because of its long, protruding bell with its insides folded in tight little ruffles.

Papyrus utterly **destroyed** that conception with style and grace.

He even put images of tiny roses in some of the apple slices that were made up of caramel sauce!

After a few hearty bites of the _masterful artwork_ that was the cocktail, you set your attention onto the final piece of the dish. The sweet-butter rolls were as large as your fist and soft as a cloud once you held it in your hands. You gave it a minuscule squish with the flexing of your fingers, and were utterly captivated as the bread decompressed in a puff of warm air but retained its soft, doughy consistency.

You saw a rivulet of honey trickle through a tiny hole in its center.

Needless to say, you couldn’t eat the dish fast enough.

You said nothing to the skeleton crew as you ate, absolutely enamored with the little slice of Eden that sat in front of you for your consumption. The fact that you felt the telltale sparks and pops of magic in each and every bite didn’t help your adoration for the food.

You didn’t notice but due to your enthusiastic inhaling of the food, you were (quickly) gaining favor with the skeletons. Papyrus had his hands to his mouth as he tried to hold back a squeak of happiness. His sunken eyes widened to dinner plates full of sparkling blood-orange stars, and little globs of tears resting on the corners of his sockets—threatening to fall without attendance. 

Axe, most definitely the most skeptical of the bunch, eased up on his scrutiny of your person and his needle-like smile decompressed into something more friendlier. He stopped rhythmically tapping on the table with his deadly phalanges and instead crossed his arms on the table as he leaned against them lazily. He grinned once he noticed you gently patting your sternum, no doubt slightly choking from eating too fast, and just watched you with lidded sockets.

Dust was snickering at your unladylike display, he also leaning on his propped up arms and rested his skull in one of his metacarpals as he watched you eat with an enthused expression. He and the rest of the guys had already finished their plates (when they did, you’d never know) and now he was just idly fingering a butter-knife with skillful dexterity.

The last remnants of what once was a dish that seemed as though only _the gods themselves_ could consume, was now an echo of sauce streaks, crumbs, and various juices. Your plate completely polished and stripped naked of the meal.

You patted your muzzle with a napkin with regal grace, finally remembering yourself and flushing with embarrassment at your barbaric behavior, and placed the slightly dirty tissue on your empty plate once you were done. You regarded the boys again as though you didn’t pig out in front of them and straightened up your back to address them.

“Thank you very much for the meal.” You stated sincerely. Your content gaze directing towards the one responsible of such a feast. “In all my years, I have never had the pleasure of consuming such _superb_ culinary delights as I did today. It was positively exquisite, thank you Papyrus.”

The hulking sweetheart glowed under your praise and dark-orange tears seemed to stream down his zygomatic arches like a dam bursting from being put under extreme pressure. He abruptly stood up, his chair flying back and smacking against the wall in a deafening boom, before striding over to you in three steps and lifted you up into a crushing bear hug.

If you were a human, or even a lesser faerie, you were certain that your spine and a few of your ribs would’ve been shattered by the tantamount force that Papyrus put into his hug. Thankfully, you were not, and you would only feel a little sore later on.

_The second thing you noticed about these strange skeletons was that they lacked social cues._

This in itself was fine as you yourself were rather uncaring of things such as social etiquette—however even you retained some aspects of the principle just so that you can somewhat blend-in with society.

These three, on the other hand, seemed to have no semblance of its knowledge whatsoever.

Well, Papyrus had more than Axe and Dust combined, but even he had less tack than you. For instance, the gangly skeleton was rather touchy and clingy.

Since your first meeting, to your walk here, and even now, Papyrus seemed to touch you or wanted to touch you in some form of fashion. He carried you most of the way here to his house, once you walked the rest of the way he held your shoulder or your hand, or he would brush against you a lot when you thought that he thought you didn’t notice.

And now, he was hugging you so tight that it seemed as if he wanted to become one with you.

From their appearance and behavior alone, it was easy to deduce that they’ve all gone through some sort of trauma. All of them seemed to lack empathy in some cases as well. With Axe it was startlingly clear as he was the most hostile towards you once you stepped foot in his domain. He made it his mission to make you as unnerved as possible whether it was with snarky remarks, twisted grins, grating taps of his spindly fingers, or discomforting staring with his single crimson eye.

He was a frightening monster and he knew it well. So he used it to his advantage.

Dust was a mischievous yet silent character. He didn’t really talk to you much only if he wanted to make a slight against you or anyone else in the house. He wasn’t _as_ physically _disfigured_ as his brothers but he had the same air of cruelty as they did. His heterochromia eyes would be disturbing to some simply because of their sharpness and intensity of luminosity when he would stare at others. Whenever he would grin, it would be extremely wide and sharp and much more terrifying than Axe’s own. There was a madness that was apparent in Dust’s psyche; he moved and acted as if he was just an average Joe who was just too lazy to do anything. But the jerky and streamlined movements of his joints and limbs betrayed his adopted persona.

He had the traits of a sociopath. And a stone-cold killer.

Papyrus, while he was the sweetest of sweets that you would ever lay your eyelights on, too was guilty of traits that would be extremely worrying for a _“normal”_ person.

Papyrus has shown you that he was or could be arrogant, egotistical, and mischievous to an extent. All these traits aren’t bad, persay—as everyone shows these characteristics whether they want to or not—he just advocates these traits moreso than others.

Regardless, he was also very nihilistic and self-depreciating.

More than once have you caught him making a snide remark towards himself or others when you both had that walk in the woods. When you both were by that cave and were just making conversation to get to know each other, he had said something about these “others” in a... _less than friendly_ light.

_“THERE ARE OTHERS LIKE MYSELF AND MY BROTHERS IN THE WOODS, AND SOMETIMES THEY COME TO VISIT.” The scarfed warrior stated. His cheerful smile seemed to dim before it evolved into something fake. It was as if the grin was just placed there with no rhyme or reason. It didn’t hold an ounce of joy, smugness, or maliciousness. It was just..._ there _. “LATELY, HOWEVER, THEY NEVER SEEM TO STOP BY. THEY THINK THAT I DON’T KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON, BUT I’M NOT STUPID OR NAIVE LIKE THEY WISH TO PORTRAY ME AS.”_

_His empty expression then briefly changed into a smirk full of vitriol. “I KNOW EXACTLY WHY THEY CHOOSE NOT TO COME HERE. I KNOW EXACTLY WHY THEY ARE DISCOMFORTED IN BEING IN MY OR MY BROTHERS’ PRESENCE. I AM A TERRIFYING MONSTER AND MY WAYS ARE SO UNLIKE THEIR OWN.” He then looked down at you and held your eyes in a shackling stare. “BUT UNLIKE THEM, I AM ABLE TO STAY TRUE TO MYSELF AND DISCERN WHETHER I SEE SOMETHING AS RIGHT OR WRONG. EVEN THOSE WHOSE BACKGROUNDS ARE TAINTED WITH VIOLENCE MUCH LIKE MY OWN—HAVING THE_ BLOOD _AND_ DUST _OF OTHERS FOREVER STAINED ON THEIR SOUL—_ EVEN THEY _CAN’T SEEM UNDERSTAND, OR DON’T WANT TO UNDERSTAND, WHAT I DO AND WHY I DO IT.”_

_He broke the stare off between you two with a condescending snort as he frowned. His (non-existent) brow-bones furrowing with ire. “HYPOCRITES, AREN’T THEY?”_

Yes, Papyrus was smarter than he let on and he had the capacity to be cruel— _was_ cruel if he wanted to be.

All-in-all, each and every one of these skeletons were dangerous in their own right. And from the stains, and smells, and dust that seemed to cling to them like a nasty hoard of sand-flies…

**_They have all killed before._ **

...Would this bother you? _Did_ this bother you?

_Pfft!_

You’d be one hell of a hypocrite if it did.

You giggled girlishly once you felt Papyrus smoosh his malleable bone-cheek against your own rigid zygoma, his rambling laughter booming through his chest that traveled through your body in a tingling wave of frequency. Your slender fingers sliding up his armored chest to rest under his clavicle, and a few adventurous claws scraping against the fragile bone. You internally smirked at how his body seized for a split second before his bones began to lightly rattle in a song of nervousness. His cheeks were immediately awashed in a bright blood-orange and you saw in the peripheral of your orbit at how his smile stretched a little bit wider in shaky delight.

You snorted once he decided to bury his flushed face in the crook of your neck, feeling the warm heat of his blush cozy your skin from the cool chill of the house’s draft.

_“NYEH HEH HEH!”_ The flustered skeleton laughed his iconic laugh but not in sweet whimsy, but in _devilish valor_. And he hugged you tighter to bring the two of you even closer.

You let out a surprise bark of laughter.

_The cad!_

He knew exactly what he was doing!

“hey, uh, bro?” Axe said, his skull adopting a slightly confused expression at the two of you. “gettin’ kinda late. maybe ya should put the lil’ lady down. she prolly’ has somewhere to be.”

You and Papyrus looked out towards the cracked window that was situated over the sink. He was right, it was getting late. You could see the sun almost vanishing over the horizon, the familiar darkness of space and the stars dominating the skies as the darker hues of blues and blacks took over.

“ _By the Queen_ , he’s right!” You squawked. You had never intended to stay for so long, how rude of you! You gently patted Papyrus’ humerus to signal that you wanted to be let down. He hesitated before complying with a dejected slump to his shoulders. “Forgive me dears, I never meant to impose on you for so long! I will be sure to compensate you if I have overstayed my welcome.”

Dust opened his mouth to say something before Papyrus cut in with rekindled vigor. “TH-THEN! HOW ABOUT STAYING OVER FOR THE NIGHT?!” He seemed to realize that he was too excited about your debt to them and quickly recomposed himself. “I-I MEAN, AS PAYMENT OF COURSE.”

Your eyelights flickered in surprise before you smiled up at the cinnamon roll. “If you’d have me, I would be delighted to stay the night, Papy Dear!” You then turned your attention to the heftier set skeletons who seemed to watch the interaction in slight curiosity. “However, if your brothers are not comfortable with my being here, then I cannot stay any longer than I am welcomed.”

The ex-guardsmen did a smooth about-face before fixing his brothers the most deadly weapon known to man, monster, and Fae.

_The dreaded_ **_puppy dog eyes_ ** _._

Both Sanses sweated under the intensity of such a pathetically adorable expression that had taken up residence on the youngest skeleton’s face. It should’ve been impossibly for eyesockets to be that wide, it should’ve been impossible for tears to be as shiny as newborn stars, and it should’ve been impossible for a skeletal mandible to waver like a quivering lip of an upset newborn babe. But yet, it happened and the cute pathetic-ness seemed to intensify because it was _Papyrus_ who was performing this charmingly atrocious act.

Dust caved first by looking off in a direction that wasn’t near those dreaded eyes. “this is all you, butch.” And with a shit-eating grin and a two-fingered salute at his double, he disappeared in a warping haze of purple.

**_“son of a bit—!”_** Axe was cut off by his brother barging in closer to his face with those eyes only growing in intensity. Navy-blue sweat ran down his damaged cranium in viscous streams before the slasher growled in annoyance and pushed his brother back with a heavy hand to his face. “ ** _alright!_** i get it. she can stay or whatev’a. just...put those _stars damned_ eyes away paps.”

_“OH, THANK YOU SANS!”_ Papyrus reached over the dinner table with his spindly, long arms and hefted his big brother up in a bone-crushing hug. Literally, you could hear a few bones crackle and pop in Axe’s body.

“ _fuck!_ paps, leggo’!” Axe snarled in pain as he squirmed and thrashed in his brother's iron-clad hold. The younger realized that he was hurting his older brother and immediately dropped him with an embarrassed “OOPS!”.

Seeing as you were fairly close to the carnage, you quickly righted Axe once he stumbled from the abrupt fall with steady hands on his back. You felt him tense under your touch and you gently gave him a pat on his broad back and walked between him and Papyrus.

“I want to thank you for your hospitality, Sans Darling. You didn’t have to let me into your home, eat with you at your table, or offer me to rest for the night.” With tender slowness, you took one of his large metacarpals in both of your hands—they were larger than yours by a margin or two—and pressed the tip of your bony muzzle against it in a skeletal kiss. “Yet you did. Even without the insistence of Papyrus, I can tell that you are indeed a _kind_ SOUL. You have my gratitude.”

Once you looked back up into his sockets, you noticed that the single red orb that made up his eyelight was the widest you’ve ever seen. It was dilated to such an extreme proportion that you could see the crimson color shine in his dead socket.

You watched in amusement at how his skull became completely awashed in the color of his magic, a virile navy-blue. The intensity was so bright that it could power three lighthouses on the salty coasts of the sandy beaches. His smile that was so twisted, so mauled in such a terrible fashion that no doubt gave homage to an abhorrent past—was now wavering in boyish embarrassment that looked startlingly handsome on his holey head.

You easily let go when he snatched his hand out of your own and giggled when he pulled up his dirty, furry hood to hide his glowing face.

“h-heh.” He croaked in a failed attempt of sounding suave. “sure. yer welcome, peaches.” And he quickly lumbered off towards the living, cursing at Dust when he laughed at his blushy state.

You tittered as you crossed your arms and held your zygomatic arch in one clawed hand. How cute.

You may just have to keep these boys.

_“HARRUMPH!”_ You were brought out of your musing to the pouty expression of the first skeleton you have met. Papyrus’ cheeks seemed to be puffed out as he glared at the retreating figure of his brother; his long, gawky arms crossed tightly over his broad armored chest in irritation. A coquelicot boot of his was tapping rapidly against the rotted floorboards in an aggressive manner.

You grinned in surprise. “Papyrus Darling, are you perhaps—!”

“NOW THAT THAT _COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY_ EVENT HAS HAPPENED,” He totally was! “MADAME Y/N! IT IS TIME THAT I SHOW YOU YOUR SLEEPING QUARTERS FOR THE NIGHT! WHILE NOTHING WOULD BE BETTER THAN HAVING A SLEEPOVER AND WATCHING METTATON MOVIES—I AM A _FAIR_ AND _MERCIFUL_ MONSTER AND KNOW WHEN IT IS A TIME FOR ACTION AND A TIME FOR REST!”

He then began to hurriedly led you out of the kitchen, through the living room, and up the stairs. He seemed to be especially pushy when the two of you passed by Axe, much to your amusement.

“Thank you Papy Dear. While I would love to spend more time with you, I have had a fairly taxing day today.” And it was true. You still weren’t completely rested from your royal meeting with the Queen, King, and other nobles. “I think a good night’s rest is just what the doctor ordered.”

“OF COURSE!” Papyrus then puffed his chest out in triumphant pride. “AND THERE IS NO GREATER DOCTOR THAN _THE GREAT PAPYRUS!_ BACK IN THE UNDERGROUND, I WAS TOLD THAT I HAD THE HIGHEST APTITUDE FOR GREEN MAGIC! NYEH HEH HEH!” The way he rolled his “r’s” sent a warm flush of glee down your weary bones. That would never get old.

“Well, I’m glad that I’m in good hands.” A “nyeh” of approval greeted your ear-holes.

… 

A content hum rumbled from your chest as you flipped through a few pages of the borrowed book you were reading.

It was a few hours after the dinner debacle and you were currently resting in Papyrus’ room. The sweet SOUL, bless him, had offered up his room for you to rest for the night stating that: _“A GOOD HOST OFFERS THEIR GUESTS THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF COMFORT NO MATTER THE SITUATION! AND NONE IS COMFIER THAN THE GREAT PAPYRUS’ BED! NYEH HEH HEH!”_

Such a dear, that one.

You flipped another page before perusing the room with your wandering eyelights. The walls were covered in a deep, burgundy paint that was chipped in various places and had minute scratch marks here and there. The floors had a carpet that had a ripple pattern of alternating greens and purples, though you could hardly tell as their colors were so dim and stripped, that they might as well be a stale blue. In the center was a faded dark-purple carpet with hot flame designs on its border, and a table stacked with damaged or scratched figurines standing in various poses.

Near the table was the bed that you were situated one, a red-hot convertible racecar bed that was large enough to comfortably fit you without your legs spilling over. Granted, that seemed to be a given considering Papyrus’ indomitable height of 8’0”. The wall adjacent to you, the northern wall, had a large pirate flag and sheets of paper-ed notes tacked on the left-side of the wall. Next to the authentic looking flag was a massive bookshelf stacked with a plethora of books, from which you procured yours from, and next to said shelf was a large closet door that housed the giant’s clothes, shoes, and other accessories.

The right-side of the (north) wall had an ancient looking computer set, something you hadn’t seen since the very first commercialization of computers, with a sealed shut window that overlooked the backyard.

And finally, in its own little corner, a frumpy, stained cardboard box filled with bones sat opposite of the bed.

You noticed that the bones had dried bloodstains.

You turned your attention back to your novel, _Puzzle Construction for Analytical Minds Vol. III_ , to get reabsorbed into the fascinating text. Monsters seemed to fancy puzzles more than Fae Folk, you realized. While faeries did participate in the creation and japery of puzzle-making, they were more inclined towards riddles, mazes and labyrinths, conquests, and tricks and pranks.

And it seems as though, from his avid collection of the _“Complex Tomes About Puzzle Creation”_ series, Papyrus was quite the genius connoisseur of puzzles.

And that was another thing you noticed.

You closed your book with a light slap before reaching over and setting it gently on the table with the figurines.

_Papyrus and Sans._

They were such odd names but you _knew_ you had heard them before.

“You know,” You said suddenly to no one in particular. “It is considered scandalous to spy on a lady when she is resting. What if I wasn’t decent?”

Silence.

Nothing but the wheezy moans of the broken air conditioner and the hoots of the night-owls accompanied you.

You sighed through your nose-hole. “I know you are there, dearest. I am known for my keen eyes and nose, and I have been tracking you since I first entered this abode.” Your disposition to relaxed from a stern one to a kindly one. “You do not have to be afraid and I will not hurt you. Though, I doubt I could since you are The Great Papyrus, are you not?”

Another moment of silence passed.

Then you felt the cool draft of something brush against your arms before you saw a figure begin to solidify in front of you.

It was a skeleton, a ghostly skeleton, with a floating skull and two floating arms. His body seemed to not have as much definition as his three other appendages, seeing as it was just a slender wisp of air that was iconic for ghosts to have, but it did show some color of what was once there.

This Papyrus’ skull wasn’t as damaged as your Papyrus’ skull. His teeth were straight and aligned, his sockets were wide instead of sunken, and he had far less nicks and scrapes than yours. He wore a red scarf, far more tattered and ripped than the Giant Papyrus, and those vibrant, red gloves had patch marks that were apparent here and there.

If there was something that the Papyri had in common, it was that they both had bags under their eyes and they both had sharp fangs.

You smiled at the Ghost Papyrus with a soft sadness. “Hello… Papyrus Darling.”

Yes, it seemed as though there were multiple Sanses and Papyri around here.

And it looks as if Lord Ains was correct in his Multiverse Theory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Axe: i don't like you  
> Reader: *le kiss on hand*  
> Axe: *blushy blush* ai'ght, imma bout to head out.  
> Papaya: *lil babu angery noises*
> 
> We charmed Axe and made Papy jealous, lol >:3c
> 
> Next chapter out next weekend!
> 
> Notes About Chapter:
> 
> *Reason why Axe and Dust reacted the way that they did when Reader first mentioned skeletons: They thought she was talking about the other guys (Tale!Bros, Swap!Bros, Fell!Bros, and SwapFell!Bros), so they didn't hear the second part.
> 
> *Mystic Skeletons (concept by: Tea_Cup/PumpkinFlash): A type of "dark faerie" that strongly resemble human corpus. They are considered "stoic" fae as they are unable to enact the ability to emote, so through an evolutionary adaptation--they can be able to produce a magical aura that can display to others on what they are feeling in that moment. Mystic Skeletons are the most magically versatile Fae due to their bone structure (thinner than a monster skeleton, thicker than a human skeleton) and having less surface area for magic to proceed through. They are able to disconnect their bones at will, without it hurting them, and use telekinesis as a way to communicate. They are natural creatures so they do not wear clothes. They believe that the Earth is the greatest gift by All-Mother Gaia, so they celebrate it by being one with it which is to love all and bare-all.
> 
> For more information on Mystic Skeletons, visit Tea_Cup (PumpkinFlash)'s [Tumblr](https://pumpkinflash.tumblr.com/)!


	7. Keen Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “The people you love become ghosts inside of you, and like this you keep them alive.”  
> ― Rob Montgomery
> 
> (It's a shorter chapter this time! Sorry guys!)
> 
> Support me on [Ko-Fi](https://ko-fi.com/saucyawkwardness)!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by: [Skeleon x Skeleton](https://www.archiveofourown.org/works/15966272/chapters/37239746) by Tea_Cup (PumpkinFlash)

… 

_Chapter Six:_ _Keen Eyes_

… 

  
  


A somber silence filled the room as the two of you stared at each other. The Ghostly skeleton seemed to be in awe of you—if the widening of his sockets were any indication—a certain type of excitement in his empty eyes that only “a Papyrus” could accomplish. Whether it be that someone could finally see him, or be it because of you yourself, you did not know.

You, on the other hand, were filled with sorrow; a sorrow that only a person could achieve as if they were at a funeral on a groggy rainy day—the whispering winds and pelting rain the only accompaniment to a world otherwise filled with silence as you watched on as the officials lowered a loved one to a cold, six-foot grave were they would eternally sleep, forever.

The fact that this Papyrus was cursed to roam the soils of Mother Gaia, forever invisible to others without The Sight, as the world moved on was as damning as it was depressing.

You couldn’t imagine what that must have been like for him. And you, selfishly, never wished for his fate to befall upon you.

_“Y-You...Can S-See Me, Miss?”_ Ghost Papyrus questioned softly, his words a hushed whisper whose tone seemed to be carried and distorted by the very air itself. As if the act of him talking was taboo to the nature of the world around him.

“Of course I can.” You stated with a smile. Your back rested comfortably against the numerous amounts of pillows that Papy—sorry, _Giant Papyrus_ had exuberantly procured for you. He expressed, quite bluntly, of his want for you to be as pampered and as comfortable as possible. So he dug around in the house’s numerous closets for all of his spare pillows, dumped them on his fashionable bed, and fluffed them to pounding perfection before presenting the newly decorated furniture to you.

You swear that it was more pillow than bed at this point, but you had no complaints.

You were rather comfy.

“I, along with numerous others, am a Fae with something called _The Sight_ *.” You linked your fingers together in a regal net of flesh, magic, and bone. “That means that we are ones that are able to see things that are there _yet_ **_not_ ** there, beyond the beyond, planes of existence that coincides and is present in our own yet invisible to mortal eyes.”

“It also means…” You then leaned forward and reached a hand towards the familiar apparition. You heard him gasp once you made contact with his mandible; gently caressing along it with feather light touches, feeling the indents and scratches that only natural bones would be able to have. “That we are able to interact with them despite being on these different planes and despite no one else being able to.”

Tears. Globulous, fat, ghostly tears ran down his zygomatic arches as you continued to touch and caress his cheeks. He looked at you as if he saw the Sun for the first time, witnessing such an indescribable event that could only be summed up as a _“miracle”_. Once the first squeak of a sob was loosed from his teeth, it opened the floodgates of numerous more after it, bathing the room in the heart-wrenching sound of a grown monster crying.

Ghost Papyrus, literally, flew to you in a constricting hug and sobbed into your slender neck. His embrace was even tighter than Giant Papyrus’s which clearly showed how touch starved the monster spirit was. You held him and crooned at him as if he were a child who had suffered through a terrible nightmare, and rocked with him gently to calm him down.

… 

“That is...I really do not know what to say, dearest.”

It had been sometime since you had calmed down Ghost Papyrus, and once you did you invited him into your bed despite him being incorporeal. However, to both of your intrigue, whenever you touched him he would turn non-transparent and could physically touch things. Hence why you both were holding hands under the covers, sitting side-by-side as you both stared into nothingness.

Ghost Papyrus had told you where he had come from. How he was the younger brother of Dust and how life went for them in their version of The Underground. Papyrus had confided into you how, when he was alive, Sans—it seemed as though Dust was also called Sans like Axe, further proving that they were indeed the same person but from different universes—would be on edge and nearly inconsolable on most days. He told tale of how he was once such a caring albeit lazy older brother. Never harming another, never threatening or suspicious, never the monster that he was now.

But then all of that changed, when the human had fallen.

You noted how Papyrus had such a look of heat, a look of insuperable **hatred** , on his pale visage.

When he spoke about the human it was with spitting, poisonous words that were like the striking hisses of a King Cobra. Each and every word, every noun and plural, every verb and adverb, was decorated with _lethal abhorrence_ . He spoke of how the human was the reason for Dust’s madness, how it drove him to commit the unforgivable sin of seeking out and _killing every monster_ in The Underground. How the human had broken someone who was near and dear to his SOUL, someone who had raised him and protected him when he was a babybones…

Someone who was his best friend, his confidant, his _one and only older brother_.

The human had reduced him into an _empty, voidless,_ **_husk_** of what was once a _good_ monster.

And Papyrus _would forever_ **_hate_** them for that.

You did not voice your opinions, you did not voice your thoughts, you did not voice any notion of MERCY or forgiveness.

You just sat there...and you listened.

You listened to his and his brother’s thoughts of loneliness in an empty world that was once so vibrant.

You listened to his thoughts of his fears of his brother completely cracking, unable to control his madness and his grief of the sins he had committed. His fears of one day, one day his beloved brother wouldn’t see him anymore whether it be due to waning magic from his part or Sans’.

You listened to him talk about what he once treasured and valued, how he was akin to Giant Papyrus—though it seemed as though he went by the alias of _“Crooks”_ , you did **not** care for that nickname—but now, he didn’t know what he valued anymore.

You listened to him talk about feeling lost and confused most times, wondering if this all there was to his existence. Never doing the things that he once loved to do, just...being a specter, and aimless wanderer. Forever.

You listened to him talk about the others that also lived in the woods. Never disclosing their names or any damning information about them, but having the same amount of distaste for them as Crooks did.

You listened to him talk about these RESETS. This seemingly impossible power that should’ve, in no rights, been bestowed upon a mortal _child_ of all things. A power that could start, stop, and restart time in itself; create new timelines and universes, _have_ created new timelines and universes, a power of creation and destruction.

A power that all started with the literal press of a button.

You listened and Ghost Papyrus talked. And it remained that way for the better part of the night.

And once he was finished talking were you both finally bathed in silence.

You sat there and mulled over what would be aptly called, the “word vomit”, that spewed out of the ghost skeleton’s mandible. Your incorporeal brain chewed and chewed and chewed the information that was given to you on a metaphorical silver platter before he reached a conclusion.

You did not know what to say.

And you told him as much.

But the fact _utterly_ and _irrevocably_ bamboozled you.

In all of your centuries upon centuries of life, living through the worst of scenarios known to man and Fae, challenging The Fates by pushing through obstacles that many would have perished long ago...You generally did not know the answer to such a situation and couldn’t seem to fathom yourself in his shoes.

This was _strange_.

This was _weird_.

This was **_vile_ **.

This was _damnable_ to all Nine Circles of Hell.

…

...But it was _exciting_.

It was _new_.

**_It was unknown._ **

Ghost Paps let out a tired, wispy chuckle at your bluntness. Gently running his phantom phalanges over your fleshed ones. _“I-It’s Okay If You Do Not Understand. Even I Was Confused When We First Arrived To This Universe.”_ He then looked towards you in thankful resignation. _“I Am Sorry That I Have Unloaded Such Confusion Upon You, Miss Y/N. But I Am Thankful That You Listened To My Woes Anyway.”_

“Of course, Papy Dear! No matter what form you take or wherever you may be, you will always be _The Great Papyrus_.” You then pressed your muzzle against his zygomatic arch in a skeletal kiss before nuzzling against him sweetly. Much to your amusement, Ghost Papyrus defied all laws of nature once he blushed a pale apricot.

Honestly, were all Papyri or Papyrus-types this adorable?

After a few more selfish nuzzles did you finally break away once a fleeting thought took root in your (absent) mind. “Papyrus, I assume that the naming system is to cause less confusion amongst the various Papyri and Sanses, yes?” At his nod you continued. “I now know that Papyrus, the Papyrus that I had first met, is called Crooks—disregarding such a tasteless and frankly _insulting_ name. Are you, perhaps, called something, my dear?”

Ghost Papyrus looked down in sadness. _“Unfortunately, No I Am Not. Despite My Greatness, Only My Brother Dust Can See Me. The Others Cannot.”_

“Well, would you like for me to name you?” You giggled at the abrupt jerking of his spiritual body. Haunting, clear stars twinkling in his empty sockets. “Even if no one else can see you, _I_ still can. And it is a conundrum if I refer to one Papyrus by his given name, if the other is in the room also.”

_“Y-Yes, Of Course! It Would Be An Honor To Receive A Nickname From You, Miss Y/N!”_

“Right, well, I will do my best to live up to your standards, dearest.” You stated. You then hummed and ha’d, relishing in the (undead?) skeleton monster’s reactions. He seemed to be on the edge of his seat in anticipation, gloved hands tightening into fists in his excitement as he (strangely) vibrated in place.

You decided to SPARE him of the excruciating wait.

You had already come up with a nickname ever since you heard his and Dust’s story.

“Hmm. How about, _Titan_?”

The disembodied ghost tilted his severed head in curious question. _“T-Titan?”_

You nodded. “Indeed. In Greek Mythology, Titans were the original gods who ruled over _Mount Olympus_ —the home of the all-powerful gods. They were the treasured children of the All-Mother of Earth, Gaia, and the Creator of the Skies, Uranus. Despite the longevity of their reign over the cosmos, they were overthrown by new gods—the _Twelve Olympians_ —and were banished to the underworld of torment, suffering, and sin— _Tartarus_ —to forever remain their prisons until the end of times.”

All was silent as Ghost Papyrus mulled over your words with a somber seriousness that wasn’t there before. After a few melancholic moments did he finally look at you with a small glint of DETERMINATION in his expressive eyesockets.

_“Yes… I Quite Like That Name, Titan.”_ Then, for the very first time since you have met him, Papyrus—no, _Titan_ gave you a brilliantly large grin that could only be pulled off by someone of his charisma. _“I Shall Now Be Known As_ The Gallant Titan _! A Spectral Sensation! A Connoisseur Of Puzzles! And A Skeleton Of Fairness! Nyeh Heh Heh!”_

You laughed good-naturedly, watching his hands slip from your own as he zipped around the bedroom in unrestrained delight. You were happy that Titan now had some sort of closure from this experience, and that he could now be somewhat included in the festivities of the abode even if not as many noticed his presence. You believed that you had a sort of tool or other somewhere that could allow for those without _The Sight_ to view into obscure planes of existence, but…

You would have to talk to Dust first to see whether or not he would be okay with your proposition.

But for now as you snuggled yourself amongst the various soft pillows and blankets, watching a transparent entity ramble on and on about whatever was on his (non-existent) mind…

You just enjoyed the moment for what it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanted to at least get Dusttale!Paps's (mini?) Ark out of the way first before I continued on. I thought that it would be best if I wanted any form of the story's substance to stick.
> 
> Can't make a good story without a good plotline after all!
> 
> And yeah, I'm callin' Dust!Paps "Titan"! I think that's a great name for him!
> 
> Again, sorry if this was a little on the short end, I was kinda running out of fumes due to college-life and trying to update every week. So please take everything with a grain of salt.
> 
> Anyhow, hope ya'll enjoy! Next chapter out sometime this weekend!
> 
> *The Sight—An ability that is (primarily) unique to Fae Folk and allows them to view different planes of existences, realities, and in some cases multiple universes (depending on their lineage). Not only can one see, but they can also touch and interact with things in these planes when no one else is able to. A few monsters are recorded to have this trait, and even fewer humans.
> 
> Greek Mythology Info: [Mount Olympus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Olympus), [Titans](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titans_\(mythology\)), [Twelve Olympians](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve_Olympians#Olympians), and [Tartarus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tartarus)


	8. Base Of Operations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'mma post an Author's Note next y'all! I need to explain what's been happenin' on my end of the schtik during all this madness.
> 
> And... I'M NOT DEAD!!! Just...busy.
> 
> And lazy.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy! >:3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by: [Skeleon x Skeleton](https://www.archiveofourown.org/works/15966272/chapters/37239746) by Tea_Cup (PumpkinFlash)

…

_Chapter Seven:_ _Base Of Operations_

…

* * *

The soft sounds of pages flipping filled the quiet room as the first rays of dawn bathed the abode in humble light. The many diurnal creatures of the forest began to stir and chime their dearest greetings to one another so as to welcome in the new day. The love songs of the birds, the frenzy chittering of the squirrels and rodents, the somber and distant howl of the wolves, and the faint grumblings of bears was what penetrated the sturdy walls of the cabin-like house; only heard and privy to one audience member whom had stayed awake while the rest slumbered sweet dreams.

You quietly turned another page of the book you were reading, your eyesockets covered by the lovely red veil that you always seemed to wear—but it didn’t impede you from enjoying your literary pastime.

You were the only one up at the time and had been up since late last night. Titan had been your wonderful company all throughout the night, talking about anything and everything if he could bear it. Whether it be from his previous livelihood, to his brother, his lost dreams and ambitions, his loves and his losses, his hatred and his sadness—it did not matter to him as he bore all and bared all. It was quite curious how he and Crooks were so inviting and open to talk all about themselves no matter if it was damning information or not.

You didn’t think that they were naive, far from it actually. But you did find it concerning just how confident they were. It was as endearing as it was dangerous.

You figured that if they had been doing this for years, and nothing dangerous had come about to harm them, then they knew what they were doing.

They seemed to be **very capable** of defending themselves after all.

So there you sat in the adorably charming fire engine red racecar bed that served as your place of rest. Your slim, grey, and slightly sculpted arms smarmy under the morning light as they basked in the cool air, and your generous breasts free and out on full display—unhindered by any article of clothing that was designed to put them away.

You had taken off your clothes sometime in the night (after Titan had gone and fallen asleep from all of his excited yammering), finding them to be too stifling to serve as your pajamas. Fae were natural creatures after all and they weren’t ashamed to flaunt their nakedness in front of others. To them—yourself included—it was seen as exhausting and completely asinine to be flustered by another's' nudity; Mother Gaia had created all faeries and Fae-Folk with her intentions and in her image. Their creation was the greatest gift to ever receive from her and should be celebrated and rejoiced to all (and was).

You had heard that there were Monsters who preferred to be in their natural state, and wondered if it was the same for them.

Did, perhaps, the boys feel this way as well?

Speaking of, you thought to yourself as you felt a small chill crawl up your spine. You closed your book with a hum and set it on the “table of figurines” that was next to the bed.

You looked down to see a sleeping Titan, bereft of any wariness or bittersweet melancholy, cuddling against your waist with his detached hands lying secure against your hips. You heard him exhale a few soft “nyeh’s” in his slumber, his teeth slightly upturning in what only could be described as a pleasant dream.

You fondly caressed his skull—your claws lightly scritching against his cranium—and giggled at his adorableness. Ah, what a wonderful way to start the morning.

You then turned your attention to view the quiet domicile as you fell into your thoughts. While Crooks (you really wanted to slap whoever gave him such a name) was an absolute peach of a monster and allowed your stay for the night in his home, eventually you would have to move on and set up a base of operations elsewhere. While you and many other faeries loved nature, having business ventures amongst the dirt and brambles could be seen as distasteful. Especially if you planned on conducting said business with humans.

You hoped, Gaia willing, that you would find somewhere close enough to stay in contact with Crooks and Titan. You would be rather upset if you had to forgo their company during your stay in Ebott.

Hell, you’d be sad if you would be forced away from Axe and Dust as well! Although hostile, you find them to be rather charming and sweet in a terrifying and life-threatening way.

You did favor with those of darker attributes after all.

You perked up once you heard the soft groans of someone waking up. There was the quiet shifting of blankets and whispery yawns before the faint noise began to roar with vigor as familiar stomping rang out throughout the house. You could even feel slight vibrations shudder along the bedroom’s walls.

It seems as though Crooks was awake.

An amused chortle rumbled out of your throat and you simply listened to the iconic animation of a magical skeleton whose mannerisms could only belong to Papyrus. You stretched your long limbs as far as they could go, being mindful of a certain sleeping entity, and groaned in pleasure once you felt the telltale pops and ripples of your (own) skeleton realigning itself.

After that glorious stretch, you slipped out of bed without disturbing Titan, conjured a silky, lipstick red robe that reached your hocks (goat equivalent of “human ankles”), and made your way downstairs towards the commotion.

Well, you would think upon your future arrangements at a later time. For now, you would indulge yourself in a delicious meal made by a handsome company.

* * *

Crooks was having a delightful morning thus far! He had woken up earlier than usual, beating his previous record of 5:30 AM, and was currently in the kitchen preparing a hearty and scrumptious meal for his lazy brothers and his wonderful new guest.

The familiar, loud clamoring of him banging pots and pans as he prepared breakfast did little to derail him from his thoughts. His oafish body was covered by an orange, faded, and cotton pajama unit that had the iconic pattern of tiny bones strewn about. It had faint patches here and there—from him trying to desperately keep the ensemble from desiccating further—but it looked absolutely endearing on him and seemed to amplify his childlike whimsy despite his horror-stricken appearance.

The younger skeleton hummed a listless tune as he cooked, the ruffles of his white apron swaying gently in the stale air as he shuffled about with purpose.

_I Hoped That Madame Y/N Had A Cozy And Restful Night In My Room_ , He then snorted at his thoughts and flipped a pancake with flair as his broad chest puffed out in self-absorbent pride. _What Am I Saying? Of_ Course _She Did! It Is The Bed That_ **_The Great Papyrus_ ** _Has Hand-Picked, And Could Only Satisfy The_ Most _Superior Of Guardsmen! Not To Mention Its Stylish Decor Would Make Any Monster Swoon With Envy And Intrigue!_

He then hrmed under his breath as he rubbed his bare, bony phalanges under his mandile—his empty sockets crinkling in concentration as they shifted about in time with his ever-changing thoughts. _However, I Could Have Added A Few More Pillows For Her To Rest On. Not All Can Be Able To Handle The Firm Presses That Regail The Mattress Of A Cool Fellow Such As I!_ He shook his head as he mentally berated his past self’s foolishness and ignorance. _Honestly, I Thought I Was Better Than This! That Is Terrible Hostmanship On My Part!_

Crooks failed to notice the rhythmic clopping of hooves that rapped against the floors above and even when they trotted down the rickety stairs that were covered in rot and decay. It was only when they shuffled against the matted rungs of the living room’s carpet did he realize that he was not the only one awake.

“Good Morning, Papyrus Darling,” A familiar dulcet voice purred in femininity. “I thank you for going out of your way to prepare breakfast for us so early in the morning, however I trust that you have had a good night’s rest? It is quite alright if you wish to sneak in a few more hours before daybreak.”

Crooks straightened in glee and quickly stirred the eggs that hissed deliciously in the pan before turning around to address his lovely company. “GOOD MORNING TO YOU AS WELL, MADAME Y/N! I HAVE HAD A WONDERFUL NIGHT’S REST AND NEED NO FURTHER! I AM NOT _NEARLY_ AS LAZY AS MY BONEHEADED BRO—!” His eyesockets widened in shock once his faint eyelights rested on the wolf-goat woman’s form. His spatula slipped from his hands and clattered as it impacted against the dirty tiling of the ground below. Its piercing shriek was all that filled the room as his boisterous voice was immediately cut off like a record-needle suddenly screeching against the record as it flew off of the disk.

You were…

Y-You were _naked_ …

_You were naked._

**_You were naked_ **… and standing right in front of him in all of your glory.

Wearing nothing but a loose-fitting, silky red bathrobe that was somehow (still) form-fitting on your person.

_Naked_. That word’s ring pounded against the four corners of his skull, like a resonating gong belting out tunes of war, and filled his empty head with “less-than-gentlemanly” thoughts.

Though he had perused briefly during their first meeting, now that you were displaying yourself so blatantly in front of him—he couldn’t help but to _really_ take you in. Due to your great height, you had a slender and lithe build; a disposition that seemed to most suitably be built for speed despite the largeness of your chest and hips that could seemingly weigh you down. Even though your skin was a bewitching, lustrous dark-grey, with nary a smidge of involuntary bumps or blemishes on the flesh, you did have faint scars nicked here and there that would’ve been most definitely invisible if you were not looked over by an untrained eye.

Deep gouges, ferocious claw-marks, old burns and welts, and all manners of indentations and inflictions that could only point towards tools of impalement; all of these wounds told a harrowing and tumultuous journey that the faerie undoubtedly had to face throughout her lifetime. He flinched especially hard at the chips, faint cracks, and unorthodox marrow-patterns that were prominent on your exposed ribs that rested seamlessly within and on your flesh.

Crooks truly had no idea what the woman had gone through that had made you into the being that you are today, but he didn’t pity you. It would be _highly hypocritical_ of him to do so, not to mention grossly disrespecting your strength and resilience.

No no, in fact, it only made you even more beautiful in his eyes.

And he couldn’t help but feel a smidge of happiness discovering these numerous imperfections on such a graceful entity such as you.

It showed that you too were damaged goods, broken in way… just like him.

And he appreciated you all the more.

But as of right now…

_“M-M-MADAME Y/N!”_ The giant cinnamon roll shrieked at such a high volume that some of the kitchen windows bore new cracks in their panes. “WH-WHY ARE Y-YOU N-N- _NAKED_???!!!”

You seemed to regard him as if he were the strange one in this situation. Your bone-white (heh) skull tilted to the side in slight confusion, your body mirroring your action by jutting your hip out to the side as you favored one leg to support your body. Your arms linking themselves to cross under your generous breasts, pushing them up even further much to the skeleton’s fortu—ahem, _unfortunate_ dismay.

Crooks desperately tried not to notice how your nipples hardened as a cool draft of air seemed to wash over them. But by the guilty burning of his cheeks, he knew he failed even though he was trying his damndest to just focus on your eyes.

While you enjoyed the utter cuteness being shown to you right now, you were confused by his sudden mannerisms. “And what is so wrong with my state of dress, dearest?”

_What was wrong?!_ “Y-YOU ARE—! YOU C-CAN’T JUST—! I-IT’S VERY D-DISTRACTING AND—!” Crooks was speechless. _By The Stars_ , he was honest-to-goodness **speechless** . While he would admit that he could be a little daft in certain circles of social commentary, he didn’t think he would ever meet someone as brazen as him! Hell, you seemed to be even moreso by strutting around with _such confidence_ , completely unaware of the sheer inappropriateness of your actions.

_And fuck if that wasn’t such a turn on for him—!_

He floundered with his wording for a few more hopeless minutes before immediately shutting his trap with an audible click of his mandible. He straightened up to his true height and briskly walked towards the living room and up the stairs, being mindful to completely go around you without a single brushing touch of his person.

You just watched him in curious amusement as he took three steps at a time up the stairs, and giggled once you heard telltale crashing and banging as he rummaged for stars-knows-what. You decided to tend to the various breakfast foods that were currently cooking on the pots and pans situated on the stove. You hummed a directionless tuned, your hips swaying from side to side ignoring the hurricane of shouts and grumbles that came from upstairs.

Your skin prickled as unfamiliar magic originated from behind you, its wafts of curious brushing against your own, foreign and strong, and making your own wisps tense up in wariness. However, once the familiar scent of one of the brothers’ invaded your nosehole, did you allow your magic to relax and gently probe it back.

“Good Morning, Axe Dear.” You chuckled at his lacksidical and irritated response at your pleasantries. Clearly his exuberant younger’s rampant way of waking him for the day was not the most favorite pastime of his.

“what’sa wit paps?” He mumbled a barely focused question. Though you could not see him, as you were currently preoccupied with plating everyone’s meal, you could tell from his slurring speech alone that he was _not_ a morning person.

“Frankly my dear, I haven’t the faintest idea. He seemed as though he was most upset with my state of dress, though I haven’t the foggiest clue why.”

“yer wha— _pffbh!_ ” Axe spat out the slew of ketchup that he squirted from his mouth as soon as you turned around. His single red light died in an instant like a lightbulb shattering from blunt force and bathing the area in darkness. Thick rivers of red dribble down the butcher’s jaw as it remained opened in flagrant shock as he helplessly took in your “unclad” state.

Opulent, navy-blue creeped along his zygomatic arches in such a way that it was reminiscent of a firework whizzing in the night sky in quiet for just a moment before crackling in booming frenzy in the next second.

The Sans watched you with voidless black sockets and a burning skull as you made your way over to him with a plate full of food. Once you were by his side you bent over slightly to place his plate in front of him before moving over onto your own seat, unaware of your breasts jiggling haphazardly as you did so.

And Axe… he saw **_all_ **of that.

_“...oh fuc—!”_

“Y/N! THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAS RETURNED AND WITH APPROPRIATE ATTIRE FOR YOU TO WEAR!” The lanky skeleton screeched as he bolted in the kitchen and strategically dumped several large clothes onto your person, effectively covering you.

You took a gander at your newly bequeathed items, raising a non-existent eyebrow in question at the one who had given it to you. However the sweetheart wasn’t looking at you as he turned his head away from you with a damning brush on his face, twiddling his thumbs and fidgeting from side-to-side as he waited for you to get dressed.

“heh.” A low chuckle cut through the awkward silence that prevailed after Papyrus had dumped an entire outfit literally on your head. You saw Dust leaning against the doorway wearing a tattered black wife-beater, grey sweatpants, his faded pink slippers, and his favored blue hoodie.

A smattering of mauve rested on his cheeks as he unabashedly took in your bare state; his rictus grin mellowing into a sinuously playful smirk. "didn't know we'd be gettin' **_dinner an' a show_ **, but i ain't complanin'." He chuckled, stuffing his hands into his hoodie's pockets.

" _DUST!_ HOW RUDE!" Crooks screeched before marching over to his other brother and slapping his large, clawed phalanges over the aforementioned skeleton's sockets. "THERE IS A LADY PRESENT AND SHE IS CURRENTLY INDECENT! SHIELD YOUR EYES!"

The murderer grumbled irately under his breath, hissing in pain at the sheer blunt force behind the younger skeleton grabbing his face, and began to pry the hands that were shielding his vision.

"don't got eyes to shield paps, got sockets. an' why do i gotta? dove came down here lookin' like that in th' first place." The high-LV monster then pointed at the other skeleton in the room, currently comatose as he continued to stare at you. "also, I don't see ya scoldin' axe over there. he's been lookin' at her this whole time."

**_“SANS!”_ ** The tall bean hissed is distress and frustration, the sheer volume of his voice rattling (heh) his frozen brother out of his stupor. Axe growled and muttered furiously under his breath as he turned away from the woman, his skull bathed in a virulent and handsome deep blue.

You just chuckled at the frankly pure shenanigans of these gaggle of ghouls before conceding to the tall one’s demand. Though you liked to strut around au natural—when it wasn’t strictly for business and the like—you did understand that some may view your cultural practices as disconcerting, uncomfortable, or just plain strange. You knew when to pick and choose your battles and you knew when to concede. This moment, though precious, was a moment for you to lower your stance on the issue and concede.

...Though you will be talking to Crooks later to form a sort of compromise.

You frankly liked your state of undress. Clothes can be very stifling at times.

“It’s quite alright Papy,” You let out a huff as you stood up from your seat, precariously moved some plates aside, and set your given cloths on the table. “I am not so embarrassed about those whom wish to peruse my body. If my display is considered strange and unorthodox to the point where others may look upon my form, then I will not exhaust myself with frivolous hesitancy. After all,”

You then stripped off your silky robe and let it pool around your hooves in a teasing manner. “I am confident in my form and therefore do not mind the eyes. Frankly it is quite flattering.” You then struck an elegantly salacious pose with a cheeky wink to boot that had Crooks choking on air, Dust wolf-whistling, and Axe sinking further into his seat. “Especially when they may be _looking for something else_ . Don’t you agree, _the wonderfully_ **_Great_ ** _Papyrus_?”

**_“M-MADAME Y/N! PLEASE!”_ ** You laughed.

* * *

After that frankly hilarious debacle, you were finally dressed (in a stained tye-dye t-shirt that said _“Connoisseur of Colors”_ that was, frankly, adorably big enough to be used as a dress; and a baggy pair of black basketball shorts that were torn in a few places) and had a (somewhat) calming breakfast. As always you were thoroughly satisfied with Crooks’ cooking and praised him for his unusual yet quite fascinating techniques every chance you got. It warmed your heart to see the giant of a teddy bear grin and bashfully accept your praise, and it led to the conclusion that not many others partook in his cooking and/or commended him for it besides his brother it seems.

You hankered a “wild” guess that it had to do with his looks or even his background, and you were...more than _displeased_.

Regardless, he was a great chef in your books and that was saying something as you had a particular palette for dishes. In your many, many centuries of life, cooking has been a beloved pastime of yours and with it came the knowledge, experience, and skills that nary a mortal could hold an _ember_ too.

Many have tried and failed to satiate your strict and sensitive tastebuds, and you spared them no expense and no MERCY to those who asked for your advice and or guidance. And those whom you had taken under your wing had gone through the acidic fires of hell and fury, knowing full well that you were not charitable to them no matter the age, race, class, or lineage. 

If they truly wanted to be the best, then they had to give you the best. **No exceptions.**

And when you told Crooks of your many decades of knowledge, practice, and subsequent mastery of the culinary arts, he asked—no, _begged_ you to teach him what you knew.

However, this is what you replied with:

_You set down your silver spoon neatly to the side of your plate as you took in the excitable monster before you. You hummed before folding your hands regally on the table, and then answered._ “Papyrus,” _at your serious tone, the skeleton immediately began to settle down._ “If you wish to become my protege then you must understand and know of my teaching methods. I am strict, harsh, and unforgiving teacher as I expect the best from each and every one of my students. I will not, under any circumstance, spare your feelings just because I may be “totalitarian” in my tutelage. I will critique you on each of your dishes that you will present me, and be honest and blunt on each and every one. Especially when you have failed, and you **will** fail.”

_You then sipped a bit of your tea, ignoring the somewhat heated stare that Axe was giving you. You could, to an extent, understand where he was coming from as he was his family, but you did not care. In order for Papyrus to truly blossom in the culinary arts, he needed discipline or he would never improve._

“You will follow my orders without question, without complaint, and you would do well to take notes as I will not be coddling you or helping you in certain lessons. Now,” _You leaned forward in your seat, your sharp violet eyelights glowing with magic as they locked onto the scarfed skeleton in a shackling stare._ “Knowing all of this, do you still wish to study under me?”

_Throughout your whole spiel, you watched with a hawk-like gaze as the spindly younger monster’s facial expressions changed. There were some that were surprised, some that were nervous, and some that seemed doubtful. However, once you finished your speech, his face took on a cool mask of DETERMINATION that seemed to tighten his resolve with every second spent in silence._

**“Yes.”** _One word. One word was all he said._

_And as you sat back in your chair with a crawling fanged smile of challenge; that was all you needed._

“Good lad. You will begin your lessons when I have finished writing up a general plan. I look forward to you meeting and utterly demolishing my expectations, Papyrus Darling.”

Now here you were, sitting on the large, torn, green loveseat in the living room as you wrote up a teaching schedule for your newest protégé. However, you were participating in your mandatory work as an emissary of Fae-kind by writing up papers and updates on where you have been to your colleagues. 

You hummed under your breath as you looked over the sheets of writing, snorting out an air of frustration before conjuring a pair of glasses out of thin air and settling it on your face. You briefly looked up towards the grunt of intrigue that echoed from your right; Axe was sitting next to you on the loveseat as he was the first one to apparition into the living room once he finished his meal.

You had asked if it would be alright if you sat next to him as you needed to use the coffee table to review some documents. All he had given you was a shrug of indifference before dozing off, and that led you to where you are currently.

“Yes, dearest?” You questioned, putting down some papers to give him your undivided attention.

“don’ look like a schedule.” He grunted with his browbone(?) furrowing in confusion. He was looking at the letters, parcels, and scrolls that were all written and signed in the Fae-language and tongue. The language was as old as earth itself as it was a mixture of pictographs and thick, scrawling lines that seemed to crash and meld together in a uniformed chaos of literacy. 

“Ah yes,” You huffed in amusement as you brought over a few pages near him to better look at it. You figured with a singular eyelight that his depth-perception was halved dramatically. “This is our written language of _Jezik Leta_ *, formally known as the “tongue of flight”. I am currently looking over a few letters from a colleague of mine asking for my whereabouts and how I am fairing with the progression of my mission.”

Axe’s red sphere then rested on your face once again. He tensed slightly once he felt you lean on him as you tucked in your hooves on the couch, before forcing himself to relax. “mission?”

“Indeed,” You pointed to a few sentences here and there as you explained. “I am here as an envoy to discuss with the human government about the new Integration Laws that may restrict certain groups of Fae-kind. This letter here is sent directly from Her Highness, Queen Titania, inquiring whether or not I and the others have found a base of operations to begin our work.”

“queen titania?” You looked up to see Dust sitting in the recliner with an interested expression on his face, picking up a weathered scroll before leaning back in his seat and briefly examining its contents. “that your ruler?”

You nodded. “Precisely. She and King Oberon are the ones who rule over faerie-kind, however we are irrevocably a matriarchy, so the Queen holds more power than the King.” You sighed before picking up your quill and began writing a few things of note on a piece of parchment. “Despite being a person of such auspicious power, she is rather… _chaotic_ and _unpredictable_ when it comes to the affairs of the state. It gives us nobles such a headache to work with sometimes, especially if His Highness, the King is involved…” You heard the two Sanses chuckle at what was clearly causing you pain and brattily stuck your tapered tongue out at them in childish retaliation.

_Hmph!_ If they thought you a brat then fine. You knew that speaking out against royalty was considered traitorous but you had feelings too dammit! You didn’t want to spend all of your time doing hellish paperwork, that’s why you never went to one of those accursed royal meetings in the first place!

You huffed a gust of air out of your snout before turning your attention back to sifting through the papers. Now it seemed as if Axe had gotten a hold to a few of them and were looking at them in a curious, yet somewhat motivated light. “Speaking of, do you boys mind terribly if I make a request of you?”

“shoot.”

“Hm, well. Would you be willing to let me live here throughout the duration of my stay in Ebott?” You ignored the obvious flinch that rippled through the butcher’s body as well as the high-pitched squeal that shrilled from the kitchen, along with various crashes and breaks that was no doubt attributed to fallen kitchenware. A pity. “I must admit that I do not have an abode to dwell in as my presence here was quite literally forced upon me due to the urgency of the Royal Throne. I will, of course, pay my due shares whether it be monetarily or in labor, and I will naturally abide by any house-rules that you have without complaint. Granted, there was quite a few locations in the forest that seemed rather charming, but nothing can quite compare to the living arrangements of such a cozy cabin.”

You then rubbed your muzzle against the thick, strong humerus that was covered by the fabrics of a blue hoodie, giggling girlishly as you watched telltale navy-blue creep along the rounded cheeks of Axe’s skull. “Doubly so if inside dwells such delightfully _handsome_ company. What say you?”

Before the hulking, terrifying monster could give an answer, his face was immediately covered and roughly pushed away by the hand of an equally frightening monster. All you could see was the depths of orange magics, whose simmering flickers of life reminded you of the molten hot lava that ran through Mother Earth’s veins. They were equally potent, fiery, and passionate and they both wrapped around in unyielding warmth.

_“I SAY YAY!”_ Crooks hastily, yet gently, scooped you up in his garishly long arms and spun around excitedly in pure happiness. “ _OH MY_ **_STARS_ ** _!_ THIS IS THE GREATEST DAY OF MY LIFE! WHICH IS SAYING SOMETHING, BECAUSE MANY DAYS ARE GREAT SINCE I MAKE IT SO! BUT THIS IS A _NEW_ TYPE OF GREAT!” He then began to happily pace? Skip? Well, whatever he did, he did it all the while holding you in his inescapable embrace; not that you minded any.

“FINALLY, I CAN BREAK OUT MY “SLEEPOVER 101” MANUAL THAT I HAVE BEEN SAVING FOR THIS VERY MOMENT! WE CAN WATCH METTATON TOGETHER (EVEN BREAKING OUT THE DIRECTOR’S CUT), READ BEDTIME STORIES, AND— _GASP!_ WE CAN BUILD A **SLEEPING FORT**?! OH, IT WILL BE THE MOST WONDROUS, BESTEST—!”

You sighed in playful exaggeration as the cinnamon roll continued to excitedly babble on about the merriment you two would commence in during your stay. You looked towards the other two to see if they had any objection, but only saw Dust dozing away in the recliner, his hood nearly swallowing his skull whole due to his exaggeratedly lazy posture—and Axe just watching Crooks with what could only be described as a warm expression.

As your eyelights met his, he chuckled before giving you his reminiscent of a wink, which left his only working socket closed as his dead one stared at you with a haunting, voidless stare.

You only giggled at his display, charmed and rather looking forward to the chaos that would no doubt come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note comin' up next y'all! Be forwarned!
> 
> "Jezik Leta" means the “tongue of the flight” or the “Language of Flight” in Croatian/Slovenian


	9. Author's Note

Hey y'all!

AmbrosiaOfStories here!

I wanted to give y'all an update on what's been happening on my end of the spectrum during this quarantine shit.

So, obviously I'm at home, but I'm also working for my school (as a Full-Time Student) as a teleworker part-time, while also takin' 3 classes for this Summer semester. Luckily, my Sumser Semester ends on the 18th, so it's not that far away, but as of now I'm kinda focusing on that.

Also also, and I know some of y'all will be mad, but I'm... I'm gonna...

_I'mgonnaputthisstoryonabriefhiatus!_

N-Now hold yer pitchworks and lay down the knives and torches my sweet ones, I'm NOT gonna abandon this story. I'm just gonna put it on a brief pause for the moment.

Listen guys, I REALLY want to focus on my other Undertale story: "Here, I Stand", because I'm at a really good turning point in teh story and my creative juices are begging to be let out on that piece. It's distracting me from TBMATS, so I'm not postin' as much as I, and y'all, want.

So, that's why this story will be put on a brief hiatus until I'm finished offering my blood and first born child to the first one.

I know that some of y'all will be hurting, and a lot of you guys are gonna be mad and frustrated. "All this time, and she's only given us one chapter?! What a load of horseshit!" I get it, I get it, I really do. I have and am in your shoes with some of my other favorited stories on this website. But, that's how the dice are rollin' this time, sweetcheeks. Can't help it.

Anyway, I hope you guys stay safe, wash your hands, wear masks, and shit bricks; and I'll see y'all in the next one! PEACE!


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